Open Doors Pt I: Keys
by FaithfulELF
Summary: What do a key from a stranger, weird dreams, and reincarnation have in common? JackAnnie, maybe some FiClu, if ya want it.
1. Chapter 1

SUMMARY: Fi returns to the tour just in time for the truth to come out. Plot subject to change. SUGGESTIONS WELCOME.

DISCLAIMER: I revoke all claims to So Weird, characters, and or the plot. Well … the plot is mine, but the rest isn't. Enjoy!

Fi's INTRODUCTION: Have you ever wondered why things happened? At the time they occur they do not seem like a big deal, but as you progress further you realize that everything and everyone was affected in that one instant. Some people believe in destiny and fate. They believe that everything we do was meant to happen - that for every moment that we live, we're living someone else's plans. But what if someone could take themselves out of the equation? What if someone _did _change that plan? Would a whole new destiny be created? And if so, would it conflict with the old plan? Could they fuse together to create a future so powerful, that the very balance of the universe could rest on its outcome?

…Or had that been a part of destiny all along?

CHAPTER ONE

For a summer night, it was quite chilly. The air currents carried such a fierce coldness, that any normal person would already be inside, cowering under the covers in hopes to keep warm. It was odd, to be certain, that there would be such a chill in the air when there was no wind. But it was there, however, and there wasn't much that could be done to explain the weather's turn of events. From a bright sunny summer day to a chilled evening night that resembled autumn so perfectly. No, there was nothing that could ever be done for such a situation.

She stood, surveying the area that she had called home for over a year now. Soon she would be returning home, and she couldn't wait. She missed her friends, and her family. She even missed those numbskull Bell brothers that had practically become her brothers. While everyone else was comfortable inside, she had decided to watch the stars. It may have been the coldest, but it was also the most beautiful night she had seen in a long time. It reminded her of home.

"Fi?"

She looked up to see her Aunt Melinda standing in the doorway, her arms over her chest.

"It's freezing out here, hon. Are you ready to come inside?" She asked, looking the girl over. Fiona Phillips nodded.

"Yeah, I was just taking everything in," She said quickly, running up the steps to her aunt. "I don't want to forget anything."

Melinda wrapped her arms around Fi, pulling her closer.

"We're going to miss you, you know. Who will the twins have to look to as their role model?"

"Or their dress-up girl," Fi countered with a laugh. "I'm going to miss them, too."

There was a moment's silence as the two stood studying the night sky, before Melinda turned, giving Fi's arm a little squeeze. "Why don't we head back inside? It's freezing out here, and I've got a steaming cup of hot chocolate with your name on it."

"Oh, I'll be there in a minute," Fi replied. "I just … need a second."

"Alright, but don't take too long. You could probably get hypothermia from this cold," Melinda replied, walking back inside and closing the door. Fi took a seat on the steps, staring out across the lawn.

Being away had helped her to come to terms with what she'd given up. Her gift. Her family. Her life? Not in the proper sense, no, but she'd given everything that had once been her life. And she had started a new life, with a new - temporary family, and some real friends. She was still the Fi she had been before, but now she felt as if, over this past year, she'd grown up. Could she go back to the people she loved the same? No. Would they be the same? Probably not. A year was a long time to be separated. Maybe not a long time in the grand scheme of things, but in retrospect, it was the longest time Fi could ever remember. Of course she wanted to go home. But she wanted to go back to when everything was simple.

But that wasn't possible. She'd made her choice and she'd lived with it, content in the knowledge that she had protected her family. At least, that was until she learned of Annie's gift. Oh, hearing of Annie's adventures had made her long for her own. Sometimes, when she couldn't sleep, she found herself wondering how she could have made such a hard decision.

Then she would simply try and forget. She wasn't depressed; she wasn't on the verge of breaking down. She just missed her family.

She sat there for several more minutes before standing, rubbing her arms to keep warm and heading towards the door. Just as she reached the handle, though, a wind blew up through the air. Fi spun around just as it met her, blowing so fierce that she was pushed back against the door. She closed her eyes and allowed the wind to knock into her.

_Fiona. An leabhar._

The voice was haunting, and the air dropped to below zero. Her hair stuck up on ends, and she snapped her eyes open, expecting to come face to face with whatever had spoken.

But the wind vanished, the temperature became normal, and there was nothing there but the lawn.

_Did I imagine it?_ Fi asked herself, double checking to be certain that there was nothing out of the ordinary. Everything was as it had been before she went to leave.

SO WEIRD

Frowning, she turned back and quickly went inside, slamming the door shut behind her.

"That's interesting."

Annie slammed the laptop closed, looking up to see Jack standing in the doorway on the bus. His eyes moved from the computer to her, frowning.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Annie said, giving a smile. "What's up?"

"Mom wanted you to come see the theatre. She says it's pretty 'wicked'."

"Is that all?" Annie asked, sitting up and walking towards Jack. "Let's see it, then."

"Hold up," Jack said, putting his arm out so she couldn't move. "Something's off. Do I want to know?"

"I just got this letter from Fi," Annie replied. "It's not a big deal. Just that the cold weather is driving her nuts out there. She can't wait to come home."

The two quickly left the room and exited the bus, peering at the giant theatre before them.

"Wow, you weren't kidding," Annie exclaimed. "This place is amazing."

"Well why don't you two love birds stop staring and help me out here?" Carey suggested, walking past them carrying some of the equipment.

"Here, let me help you," Jack said quickly, grabbing one of the cases and tugging it out. He winced. "Did these things get heavier, or is it just me?"

"Maybe there's a stowaway goblin in them," Annie suggested. She burst out laughing at the looks Jack and Carey gave her. "Just a joke, guys."

"With your luck, I wouldn't be surprised if there actually were a goblin in here," Carey grunted, pushing past and going towards the side door.

"None of that kind of talking," Jack said, following behind Carey. He gave Annie a pointed look. "You promised."

"And scout's honor. No way am I risking that again," Annie said quickly, holding her hands up in the traditional Girl Scout's promise.

"Annie," Jack said as the blond pulled out a guitar and scurried after him. "The whole 'forgetting about you' thing can be explained."

"Right. Like you guys had some really bad food earlier and it affected your brain," Annie said, rolling her eyes and holding the door open.

"It's entirely possible. With your cooking, anything's possible," Jack joked. Annie mockingly punched his arm, and he pretended to be injured.

"Oh, you've got me," He said.

Annie cocked her head to the side with annoyance, and then grinned, skipping past him. "You can get the door yourself, Oh Great One."

"Hey!" Jack called after her, trying to move quickly just as the door slammed shut in front of him. Struggling, he set the case down and reached for the door, only to find it locked. "Annie, this isn't funny!" He called. After several moments of silence he frowned. "Annie?! Come on, let me in."

He tried the knob again, but still nothing. Groaning, he turned and almost jumped out of his skin.

"Locked out?"

"Err, yeah," Jack said, staring at the young girl with surprise. "Where'd you come from?"

"My house," The girl replied, pointing upwards. Jack followed her gaze, his eyes coming on the apartment above the theatre.

"Oh."

"Are you one of the performers? There's supposed to be a big concert tonight," The girl said excitedly.

"No, I'm not a performer," Jack said quickly. "My Mom is. I just carry the luggage."

"Do you need any help?" She asked.

"Do you know another way in?" Jack asked hopefully. "Or have a key?"

"I do have a key, but it's not for this door," She said. "I'm Caroline, by the way."

"Jack," He replied holding his hand out. Caroline shook it, still grinning. "So there's not another way in?"

"Well there is the back way, but I'd suppose it would be locked, too."

"Looks like I'll just have to wait for someone to come back out and let me in," Jack replied, leaning against the wall.

"It must be cool to have a famous Mom," Caroline said, sitting down next to him.

"Cool isn't exactly the word," Jack replied.

"You don't seem very happy," Caroline observed, looking jack over. "You're not a happy person, are you?"

It was an innocent question, but it caught Jack off guard.

"I'm happy," He replied.

"Not as happy as you should be. Everyone should be happy."

"Now you're sounding like Annie," Jack replied.

"Is she your girlfriend?" Caroline asked.

"What!? No, no, Annie's just a friend of the family," Jack said quickly.

Caroline was silent for a couple of moments, and then she pulled something out of her pocket, handing it to Jack. "I think you need this," She said, handing him a tarnished key on a faded blue ribbon. She placed it around his neck and smiled. "If you're ever feeling unhappy, just use this."

"Use it for what?" Jack asked, giving her a confused look.

"Jack, I'm so sorry!" Annie exclaimed, pushing the door open and stepping out into the alley. Jack jumped up, looking at her. "I didn't realize the door locked behind you. Honest!"

"I'll get you for it later," Jack replied, picking up the case. "Oh, hey, why don't you come in with -."

Jack stopped short when he turned and saw Caroline nowhere in sight.

Annie frowned. "Who are you talking to, Jack?" She asked, peering over him, hoping to see someone.

"There was a girl here. Caroline," Jack said, slightly dazed. Annie looked at his face, her curiosity piqued.

"Where is she?" She asked.

Jack glanced down to see that the key was still there – he hadn't imagined the whole thing. After a moment he looked back up, and shook his head. "You must have scared her off," He joked, turning and giving Annie a lopsided grin. "Why don't we go inside, then?"

"But what about -."

"Let's just get inside," Jack replied, moving past her and into the theatre. Annie started to follow, but stopped at the door, giving a quick look over for the girl Jack had mentioned. Seeing nothing, she shrugged and moved inside, closing the door behind her.

AN: So, what do you guys think? Next update should be Monday or Tuesday. Please review, and thanks for reading!


	2. Chapter 2

SUMMARY: Fi returns to the tour just in time for the truth to come out. Plot subject to change. SUGGESTIONS WELCOME.

CHAPTER TWO

The hall was dark and deserted. The least thing Fi had expected when she'd wandered in from her room. She should have been questioning why she was no longer in her aunt's house, and instead back home, but she was far too preoccupied. Up ahead the corridor wound, emptying into an elaborately decorated ballroom. The room was filled with people dancing, dressed in elegant frocks of old, and feathered masks hiding their faces.

Fi took a few nervous steps into the room, her eyes widening at the beautiful sights before her. There was so much energy in the room. Some people spun past her, and she quickly backed away, not wanting to interrupt.

"Aren't you going to dance?"

Fi turned sharply, surprised to see the boy standing before her.

"I'm not sure I understand the dance," Fi replied. The boy took her hand, causing her nightgown to transform into a black ball gown. A raven's mask appeared on her face.

"I shall teach you," He replied, smiling.

"Who are you?" She asked with confusion.

"Me?" He asked, searching her face. "I'm the host of this party. And it is all in your honor."

He pulled her into the mass crowd, taking both her arms and spinning her around.

Fi frowned. "But who are you?" She asked.

"Less questions," The boy replied. "Just enjoy the dance."

She hadn't wanted to let it go. But the questions and the curiosity had drifted out of her. Within moments she was caught up in the wind of the waltz, moving quickly with the crowd as they spun. She rested her head against his shoulders, just enjoying the normalcy of this.

It seemed to last for long, and yet, at the same time, not long enough. The orchestra had stopped for a break, leaving the dancers to their own.

Fi pulled away, looking up at the boy.

"Will you stay, Fiona?" He asked quietly. "For just this night, and the rest to come?" It didn't make sense, but often dreams don't.

"I can't," Fi replied.

"Stay, Fiona," The boy repeated, wrapping his arm around her waist and guiding her through the crowd. They stopped at a table and he lifted up a glass, tipping it towards Fi, his dark hair falling slightly into his eyes.

"Drink … and stay."

Fi took the glass in her hand, frowning.

"Stay and live," Another voice said. Fi turned sharply, shocked by the somewhat familiar voice.

"Pete?" She asked, looking at the vampire with confusion.

He didn't acknowledge the question, he just gestured to the wine. The other boy put his arm on her shoulder, and whispered into her ear, "Drink it all down, and be worshipped. Be a goddess among the many mortals you know."

The tone was seductive, and she wanted so much to stay, though she didn't know why.

"Drink."

"Annie?"

The blond brushed past, a devious smirk on her face. "Drink, and let all your troubles fade." Then she herself faded into the crowd, just as Pete had moments before.

The boy turned her to face him, pushing the glass before her mouth.

"Drink, Fiona. And be mine."

Fi stared down at the drink with confusion. Did she want to drink?

She touched the glass to her lips, and prepared to drink it down when she caught eyes with someone across the crowd.

Her breath froze. "Daddy?"

SO WEIRD

She awoke with a start, her heart pounding fiercely in her chest. She wiped at her face, and then looked around, realizing she had fallen asleep at her desk again.

"Everything okay?" Fi turned to see one of the twins standing in the doorway, curiosity on her face. She tilted her head slightly, awaiting an answer.

Fi managed a small smile. "I'm fine," She replied.

"Did you have a nightmare?" Miranda inquired.

"Yeah, something like that," Fi answered. She stood, approaching her cousin. "Why don't we go see what's for breakfast?"

Miranda hesitated, and then looked up at her older cousin. "Fi, you said you gave all that stuff up."

The older girl stiffened. "What do you mean?"

There were several moments of silence as the young girl tried to think of the proper answer. Shocking both of them, she touched her cousin's arm. "You feel different. Like you did before you came here."

Startled, Fi pulled away. "What do you mean?" She asked carefully.

The strange look that had come across the young girl's face vanished, and she just grinned. "Race ya to the breakfast table!" Then she darted past Fi and out into the hallway.

When Fi walked into the kitchen she was surprised to see the twins already scarfing down food. Her aunt turned around, smiling.

"Hey sleepyhead. There's a plate of pancakes right here for you," She said, gesturing to the counter.

"Thanks Aunt Melinda. Have you heard from Mom yet?"

The Phillips tour bus was expected to arrive in Seattle later that day, picking Fi up before circling back around and heading back home. No doubt the bus would be crowded, but she was sure she could manage. She just wanted to be home.

"They should be here in two hours, tops. Ned pulled an all-nighter."

'Poor Ned," Fi said with a frown. "He must be exhausted."

"Well that's why I was thinking that they could stay here while Molly's doing her week-long show. We could make the room."

"It would probably be better than sleeping in a hotel," Fi agreed.

"More people to annoy," Maggie said excitedly.

Melinda took a seat next to Fi, resting her hand against the teen's head. "Are you feeling alright? You look a little pale."

"I'm fine," Fi said quickly. "Just can't wait to see everyone again."

"And they you. Molly tells me that Annie is practically bouncing off the walls. She's so happy to have another girl on the tour."

"Annie's still on the tour?" Fi asked with surprise. It wasn't that she didn't like the younger girl. In fact, they got along great. But seeing her in that dream just moments before, the way she had seemed so … dark. It made her nervous, and she wasn't quite ready to face her so early.

"Well, her parents will be coming back for her when you get to Colorado," Melinda said, looking thoughtful. "I bet it will be nice to have a girl your age."

"Yeah, real cool," Fi said, giving an uncertain smile. She didn't want to admit it, not to herself, anyways, but something was up. And she knew it wouldn't be long before it all exploded.

SO WEIRD

He blinked several times before he realized Annie and Carey were trying to talk to him. As he did the small cottage faded away, leaving him back on the bus.

Carey and Annie exchanged confused looks when Jack began to massage his temples.

"Are you okay?" Carey asked with concern.

"Yeah. You just totally spaced out on us," Annie added.

"I'm fine," Jack grunted. "I just, uh, got a really bad headache."

Annie frowned in concern. "You sure? You sort of had this look on your face like you were …" She paused, glancing back at Carey uncertainly.

"Like you were seeing something besides the wall," Carey finished.

Jack stood, pushing the two away from him. "It's just a headache," He snapped, vanishing into the bathroom, slamming the door shut behind him.

Molly peered into the room with a frown. "Hey. What's wrong with Jack?"

Carey shrugged. "He just weirded out on us."

"Yeah," Annie agreed, looking thoughtful. "Sort of like he was having a vision."

Now it was Molly and Carey's turn to exchange confused looks.

"A vision?" Molly voiced, frowning. She crossed her arms over her chest. "Someone want to explain to me what I'm apparently missing?"

"Jack spaced on us, just as he was telling us about some new movie coming out," Carey explained.

"He has a lot on his mind," Molly replied, her face softening. "I'm sure he'll be fine once we get to Seattle." She turned and left Annie and Carey.

"I know that look," Carey said. Annie's head jerked up, and she met his eyes. "You're thinking something paranormal is up."

"Think about it, Carey," Annie said hastily. "What if he saw something that we couldn't? Like a vision?"

Carey sighed. "Annie, you promised."

"I know I did, but Carey -."

"No buts, Annie," Carey said, getting up quickly. "If Jack said he just has a headache, then I'm going to believe him. Maybe you should start to trust his judgment."

"I _do_ trust his judgment," Annie insisted. "I just don't trust him to admit to himself if something happened."

"Annie, let it go," Carey advised, heading for the door. "Don't risk chasing Jack off again, because you want to pursue a half-brained theory."

"Carey -."

"I know you think you're doing what's best, but it's time you put that stuff away. If Fi could do it, then you can."

Then he was out of the room before Annie could reply. She frowned, shaking her head. "That's because Fi took away her gift … for good," She muttered, though no one heard her.

SO WEIRD

It was still foggy – the memories. Or the hallucinations, if Jack were to have any say in it. He stared in the mirror, staring at his face not un-like the one in his hallucinations. He'd seen the cottage where his mind told him he used to live - a small cottage on a farm back in London. A small cottage that was probably gone. Had probably worn away with time and disrepair.

He'd grown up there, the only surviving child of his parents. They had had two others, of course. His younger brother and sister. Though faces were uncertain, he could vaguely recall his sister's laughter and blessings before he had left. That was what he had seen just moments before. The day he'd left for his summoning to the king. The day his young life had changed. He'd left them a young boy; he'd returned home a soldier.

How? He didn't remember. Most of it he didn't remember, but ever since Caroline had given him the ragged old key, he'd begun to remember some things. Things that he knew were supposed to remain hidden in the back of his memory for some time. So why was it coming now? Why were there fragments of another man's life invading his own?

Most things – little things – had been simple vagueness in dreams. Small things, like stories his Mother had told to him when he was younger. His brother's unending trust and admiration for him. His Father showing him how to use a sword. Little things; and they'd all been things he could pass off as realistic dreams as he slept. Now, however, he had to face the truth.

This wasn't going to just go away.

Of course, he could pass it all off as nothing. But it was getting harder to do just that. Harder to convince himself that what he saw wasn't a message. A message from his past life.

Uncertainly, Jack picked up Gabe's angel, looking it over.

"_Jacob!" A gleeful voice called_._ The boy looked up as his younger sister ran at him. She flung her arms around his neck, her long blond hair flowing behind hair as she did so._

"_Sarah," He said with surprise. "What brings you out to the fields?"_

"_I heard the news," Sarah replied. "You are to go and see the king. Were you not going to tell me?"_

_Jacob let out a light laugh. "Sister, I don't depart for another two weeks, at most. You act as if this is to be the last time we see each other."_

"_I don't want you to leave," Sarah replied stubbornly. "Refuse the King. Stay here where I know you watch over us."_

"_But you have Father and Michael to watch over you," Jacob countered, a slight hint of annoyance crossing his face. "You don't need me here."_

"_You're my brother," Sarah replied. "Someday you will leave here, wed to some woman. You will have a family and children. But that time is not now. You cannot leave us now."_

"_Sarah, enough with this foolishness," Jacob said roughly, pushing his sister aside. "I have work to do. As well do you. Be gone."_

"_Take my neckling," Sarah said, unknotting the string that held the miniature of the cross on it. She quickly held it out to her brother. "You will have us with you, so long as you have it."_

"_If I take it, will you leave me alone?"_

"_Gratefully," Sarah replied._

_Jacob looked at the necklace with a light frown. "It makes me seem like a female."_

"_Many a knight wears their family's symbol around their neck. You will have our faith."_

"_Alright," Jacob said reluctantly, pulling the necklace over his head and tying it back. "Well?"_

_Sarah gave him a soft kiss on the cheek. "I can be free of worry, then. Do not forget it when you go."_

"_I won't. Now return to the kitchen and help mother finish with supper."_

_Sarah grinned, and then darted away, leaving Jacob alone in the field. He laughed quietly, shaking his head slightly as he looked down at the necklace. "The things she talks me into," He said. Then he bent down and continued to harvest_.

Jack jerked backwards, his hand letting the necklace fall back against his chest. He wasn't startled by the image. No, he was startled by the face. Gabe's face … Jacob's sister.

AN: Sorry, guys. I know I said Monday or Tuesday, but with Halloween and other things, I didn't get the chance to update. Anyhoo, thanks for your attention! Next chap should be out soon. Oh, and thanks to Writerchic16 and Im2cool4love for reviewing!


	3. Chapter 3

CHAPTER THREE

"Jack!" Fi exclaimed, running into her brother's arms and giving him a huge hug. He seemed slightly surprised by the show of affection, but he quickly returned the hug.

"I missed you," He whispered, and she nodded in agreement.

"Ditto."

"Hey, let me see my little girl," Molly said, pulling Fi around and holding her close.

"Hey, Mom," Fi replied, sinking into the warmth of her Mother.

"Did you redo the place?" Irene asked Melinda, looking around thoughtfully. "It looks different from last time."

"The girls and Fi wanted to do some refurbishing. So I let them paint some rooms," Melinda explained.

Carey and Annie looked around thoughtfully, evaluating the place that neither of them had seen before. "It's nice," Annie acknowledged, finally looking at Melinda. "It reminds me of home."

"And home it will be," Melinda declared. Then she looked uncertainly at Molly. "For a week, anyways."

"We couldn't impose," Molly replied.

"There's plenty of space, Mom," Fi said, looking up. "We spent all morning fixing it up for you guys."

"I'm all for the hospitality," Jack said with a grin. "Anything's better than another bed and breakfast."

"Jack, they're not that bad," Molly said sternly.

"Come on, Mom. The club you'll be performing at is only two blocks away. This is way more convenient," Fi replied.

"Yeah, Molly," Annie said. "This place is great!"

Irene and Molly exchanged uncertain glances. "Well … I suppose we could stay."

"Alright!" The kids chimed.

"I'll show you where you'll be staying," Miranda said. She took Carey and Annie's hands while Maggie took Jack's.

There was a moment where everyone laughed, before Molly turned to Fi.

"Let me get a good look at you, baby. It feels as if it's been ages!"

"It's good to see you, Mom," Fi said, and she meant it.

"It's good to see you too, Fi. Why don't you catch me up on everything?"

"Ah, there really isn't much," Fi replied as the two took a seat.

"Why don't I get us some tea?" Melinda suggested.

"Got any coffee?" Irene asked hopefully, sinking into the chair beside Molly.

Melinda let out a light laugh. "I'm sure I could dig up something."

"Sounds heavenly."

Ned laughed. "I think I'm in need of a nap," He replied, looking hopefully at Melinda. She smiled in return.

"Of course. The couch in the living room is futon. If you need any help -."

"No, I think I can handle it," Ned replied. He gave his wife a kiss and then disappeared into the hallway. Molly turned to Fi, holding her hand happily. "So, what have you been up to?"

SO WEIRD

"Mom thought it would be a good idea if you and Fi shared a room," Maggie said, looking pointedly at Annie. The blond nodded, her pigtails bouncing as she did so.

"It's a nice room," She replied.

"We painted it," The twins said in unison, grinning.

Annie nodded. "I can't wait to get settled in and have a nice long chat with Fi."

Maggie frowned, taking Annie's hand. "Is something wrong?"

"No," Annie said quickly, smiling down at the younger girl. Miranda looked back at the door.

"Fi will be better off with you, won't she?" She asked quietly.

Annie frowned, looking at the two. "What do you mean?"

The two only giggled and ran out of the room. "Hey," Annie said, looking at them with surprise. She went to the door and peered out just as Jack was about to come in. She jumped in surprise, Jack doing the same.

"You scared me," She said, her hand drifting to her heart.

Jack grinned in response. "So sorry," He said sarcastically. He peered over her shoulder. "You're staying with Fi?"

"Yeah, cool, huh?" Annie asked. "Where are you staying?"

"Down the hall with Carey. The house is a lot bigger than I remember it being," He admitted.

"Funny," Annie said. "Usually things are a lot bigger when you're younger. Not the other way around."

"Yeah, well, it's been a while since I've been here."

"True," Annie replied. She gave Fi's room another look, and then turned to Jack. "So what's there to do around here?"

"I don't know," Jack replied. "Fi would probably be the expert in that area."

"What area?" Fi asked, coming up behind the two.

"Hey Fi!" Annie said excitedly. She gave her a quick hug. "I know I didn't say hi downstairs, so I'm saying it now."

Fi let out a light laugh. "It's good to see you, too. And even better to have an ally against the boys."

"Ha ha," Jack said, rolling his eyes.

Annie pulled away. "So what's there to do around here? Anything _interesting_?" She asked, wagging her eyebrows.

"Not really," Fi admitted. "Nothing like that, anyway."

"Oh, I forgot, I have a surprise for you!"

Fi frowned in confusion, looking hopefully to Jack. He simply shrugged in response.

"But I left it on the bus. Come on."

She grabbed Fi's hand and dragged her down the stairs, Jack on their heels. The group ran through the kitchen, startling Molly and Melinda, and then out onto the bus.

"I'm sure it could wait," Fi replied, trying not to laugh.

"I know, but I wanted to give you something. After all, you gave me your space on the bus," Annie replied, darting into her room.

"Well I didn't need it anymore," Fi said dismissively, fingering the driver's seat thoughtfully.

Jack took a seat at the small table. "Why did you leave?" He asked quietly.

"I told you," Fi started.

"Not the real reason." Jack met her eye, and she frowned.

"What makes you think that's not the real reason?" She countered.

"Look," Jack said softly. "I know we haven't gotten along real well in the past. But I want that to stop."

"A year's a long time," Fi said quietly.

"It's a time for change," Jack replied. "Why'd you leave?"

"To protect you," Fi said simply.

"From what?" Jack asked with surprise.

"I don't know. It doesn't matter anymore. The fact is that I put all of that behind me. You don't have to worry about me searching for anything paranormal. I'm not going to drag you or Mom into that again."

"Fi -."

"I found it!" Annie exclaimed. She stepped out of the room, carrying a heavy old book - causing Fi's eyes to widen and Jack's to narrow.

"What's that?" Jack asked.

"_An leabhar_," Fi breathed, reaching for the book. Just before she took it, however, she jerked away. "Where did you find this?"

"You left it back at the cabin after the 'leaves' incident." Annie replied, looking down at the Celtic spell book.

"Isn't that the prop from Aunt Melinda's play?" Jack asked with confusion.

"It's more than just that," Fi said uncertainly.

"Take it," Annie said, giving the book a little nudge. "It's yours."

Fi brushed her fingers against the old book, almost longingly. Then she jerked back. "It's not mine anymore," She said quickly, stumbling into the railing. "You keep it, Annie."

"But you'll need it, Fi," Annie said, looking at her friend with confusion. Jack looked back and forth from Annie to Fi.

"I don't understand," He said.

Neither was paying attention, though. For a moment it seemed as if both girls were out of themselves. Fi backing away from her heritage, Annie challenging Fi to come back to what she'd been a year before.

"You can't run from it forever," Annie said quietly.

"I gave that up," Fi snapped. "I'm not going to put my family back at risk."

"You don't have to read any spells, Fi," Annie snapped, the ring on her thumb beginning to glow. "Just take the book."

"No!" Fi exclaimed, surprising both of them. She licked her lips, glancing at Jack out of the corner of her eyes.

"You don't have to be afraid anymore," Annie said.

"I'm _not_ afraid," Fi replied stiffly, giving the girl an annoyed look.

"Fine," Annie said, slamming the book down on the counter. Within a moment the strange spell that seemed to have been cast over the two broke.

Fi glanced at the book, and then at Annie. After a moment she reluctantly slumped into the chair, looking the old book over. Jack came to her side, looking over her shoulder.

"I'm sorry," Annie whispered quietly. "I don't know what came over me."

"Persistence?" Fi suggested. The two let out nervous laughs, and Annie allowed her knees to buckle, pulling her in to the seat.

"Maybe you should think twice about this, Fi," Jack said warningly.

"I'm just looking at it, Jack," Fi replied. "I'm not going to read anything. I couldn't, even if I tried."

She pulled the book open, turning the pages silently as she studied the words. "I can't read them," She said with slight frustration, slamming the cover down.

Annie glanced down at her finger. Then she pulled the ring off, handing it to Fi. "Maybe this will help."

Fi took her Father's ring, a sob rising in the back of her throat.

Jack looked between the two, and then pulled the ring out of Fi's hand. "This is getting ridiculous!" He snapped. "This ring isn't going to do anything."

The two stared at him with surprise. Then Fi looked down at the book. "You're right. It's all in the past, now." She took the ring and handed it to Annie. "It will suit you far better than it ever could me." She smiled slightly. "Thanks for the book, though. It means a lot to me."

"I know," Annie replied, returning the smile.

"Hey, what are you guys doing in here?" Molly asked, peering onto the bus. Fi quickly knocked the book onto the seat beside her, hoping her Mom hadn't seen.

"Just catching up," She replied. "Annie was giving me a re-tour of the bus."

"Well why don't you guys come back inside? We're going to get lunch before heading to the club."

"Sounds great," Annie said, trying to lighten the mood. "I'm starved."

"That's exactly what Carey said," Molly replied with a laugh.

"I could use some real food," Jack replied, walking to the door.

"Some real _fast_ food is more like it," Fi said with a grin. She looked to Annie. "We better get going, before the boys eat out the restaurant."

Annie laughed and the two stood, racing off the bus. Behind them the book le out a soft glow, just as the ring had earlier. Then it dulled.

SO WEIRD

He'd been up longer than he wanted to - longer than the others. Even now he could hear Carey's snores from across the room. Everyone else had fallen asleep hours ago, but he was afraid. Terrified of seeing another vision – another truth.

Jack sat up; glancing at Carey to be sure he was asleep, before peeling back the covers and wandering out into the hall. Subconsciously his fingers drifted to Gabe's necklace. Though they had broken up several months earlier, he still cared for her. Not in the way they had both thought, but more as a sister. It was better that way. The distance between the two caused too much trouble. Instead they had agreed on being good friends. Form what he'd heard last, she had found herself a new boyfriend – a real wiz kid by the name of Lucas. He'd thought at the time that he was jealous. Now he realized he was just looking out for her best interest – much like he would if Fi were in the same position. Much like Jacob would for Sarah.

He was afraid of exploring that idea. The possibility that Gabe was Sarah. There were so many similarities between the two, though. Not just the face and appearance, but their attitudes. What he knew of Sarah, she was a kind, loving girl. One who could have lived a happy and prosperous life – if she hadn't passed on.

He remembered that, too. Receiving the letter while at the castle for a banquet. About how his dear younger sister had passed away from a strange illness. He'd been close to his family, but he'd been closest to his sister. The two were not just siblings, but best friends.

_No_, Jack thought stubbornly. _Jacob was her best friend – her brother. I had nothing to do with it. And neither did Gabe_.

But that wasn't true, and he knew it. He was Jacob, just as much as Gabe was Sarah. And he had a purpose, even if he couldn't remember it quite yet.

"No."

Jack stopped outside of Fi's room, peering inside to see his sister turn over, gripping to her blanket. After a moment she let out a relaxed sigh.

He stepped inside, glancing at Fi uncertainly, before turning to Annie. The blond seemed peaceful, but it was hard to tell with her hair covering her face. Jack hesitated a moment before brushing it back. Yes, she was rather calm, and quite asleep. Uncertainly he brushed her cheek. There was something familiar about it. Now that he was seeing far into the past, he was finding connections to the present.

_She was new to the court. A young girl no older than fifteen stood amongst the other females of the court. Her Father was a lord of the land to the south. He brought his daughter in hopes to introduce her to the young men of the court, but so far she was too shy to really be introduced. In these times of war, Jacob had been asked to guard the young girl by request of the king. And so he stood by her side, peering around the room cautiously. He wasn't too certain of why the girl needed protection, but the King had suggested that someone was not looking into her best interest, and being a lady of the high courts suggested attention._

"_Sir Jacob," Lady Anne said quietly, placing her hand on his arm. "I do not see my Father. "Do you?"_

"_Milady," Jacob replied. "I do believe he is in session with the King."_

"_I worry for his safety, knight," Lady Anne admitted._

_Jacob frowned with surprise. "Milady, I do not understand."_

_Anne said nothing for several moments. Then she leaned closer, hopeful that n o one was watching. "I fear some men of the court want my Father dead. His acreage is significant, and he often makes bad choices. He means well, Sir, but he cannot always do well. This war has changed him. Made him mad, I am afraid."_

_Jacob considered this. If it were so, then it would explain why Anne needed to be protected. He gently placed an arm around Anne's waist. "Worry not, milady. I shall keep an eye on your Father for you."_

_His arm was gone as quickly as it had been put there, and no one was the wiser. Still Anne couldn't dismiss the comfort she had felt with the Knight's arm around her, and Jacob would not forget the tingling in his arm from when he'd held her._

Fi shot up quickly, causing Jack to jerk away from Annie, and from the vision. He turned, watching as his sister slid out of bed and walked right past him, into the hallway. Jack's brows furrowed in confusion, and he stood quickly, following behind his sister. She walked with ease, though he suspected she was sleepwalking.

She went down the stairwell and out into the kitchen, Jack close on her trail. Here he could hear Ned snoring from the couch where he and Irene slept.

Fi unlocked the door and darted outside. Jack followed her onto the bus where she picked up the book and placed it back on the counter.

"Fi," Jack started, panic beginning to rise. She turned and looked at him for just a moment, before looking down at the book. She was not asleep. He could see that now. Dazed and seeming hypnotic, but awake, nonetheless.

"An leabhar. The book. She says the book has the answers."

"Who?" Jack asked with confusion.

"You see it and know it to be true," Fi replied. She opened the book and glanced down at a particular page. "It's the witching hour, Jack. So much can happen during this time. So much can be seen."

"Where's my sister?" Jack asked harshly.

"Here. We are one. It's time she face her destiny, and you, yours," The spirit who so clearly possessed his sister spoke.

"Who are you?" Jack asked uncertainly.

Fi laid her hand on Jack's. "I know you're afraid, but you must not run from what is truth. You will see the truth, shortly."

"Leave my sister," Jack commanded.

Fi grinned. "So be it." She glanced down at the page and read the spell. As she finished Jack let out a loud cry of, "No!"

Then a bright white light burst on the bus, enveloping the two in it.

AN: Well, I already started chapter four, so I hope it will be out soon! Thanks for writerchic16, for the continuous reviews, it really helps!


	4. Chapter 4

AN: Due to the fact that I'm trying to cram three or four different storylines into one story, I've decided that I'm going to split this up into a slight trilogy. Each about ten chapters long. Anyhoo, that means not all answers will be revealed in this one. Hope you enjoy!

THANKS for the review, Gabwr!

CHAPTER FOUR

Annie awoke to a loud banging downstairs. She lifted her eyes with a groan and glanced at the window. It seemed the sun was up – where had the night gone? Then she stretched out and slipped from the bed, checking on a sleeping Fi. She shook her head with a light laugh, and then turned to the door as the ruckus started up again from downstairs.

She wandered out into the hall just as Jack peered out from his door, rubbing his eyes.

"Annie? Are you the one making all that noise?"

"No, it's coming from downstairs," Annie replied.

"What _is_ that?" Molly demanded, throwing open her door.

"There's someone downstairs," Annie answered.

Jack frowned. "It sounds like someone's knocking on the door."

"Where are Carey and Fi?"

"Sleeping," Annie and Jack said in unison.

"No I'm not," Fi said quickly, stepping out into the hall as she pulled a robe around her. She let out a soft yawn. "What's going on?"

"It sounds to me like someone's chopping into a tree," Jack grunted.

"Don't be silly, Jack," Annie said, heading for the stairs. "It's just someone at the door."

"Yeah," Jack muttered, "Someone who doesn't know how to tell time."

Molly and Fi grinned, Molly putting her arm around her son as they started down the staircase. He gave Fi a somewhat questioning look, but she was turned away, chatting happily with Annie as they descended down the stairs.

Annie froze at the bottom of the staircase. "Hey, it stopped!" She realized. Fi laughed.

"Great. Now if I could just get back to sleep," She said.

They turned the corner to the kitchen to see Ned, Irene, Melinda and the twins standing together.

"Hey, what's going on down here?" Molly asked.

"Is there a visitor or something?" Jack whispered to Annie. She shrugged in response.

"Guess who decided to drop in for a visit," Irene said, moving out of the way. For several moments no one said anything. Then Annie and Fi's faces lit up in excitement.

"Clu!" They exclaimed, running forward and throwing their arms around the tall blond.

"Clu?" Jack questioned, staring at his best friend with utter confusion.

"Hey," Clu said in his usual manner.

Molly smiled softly. "Well this is a surprise!" She said, stepping up next to Ned and Irene.

"How did you get here!?" Fi exclaimed, looking up and meeting Clu's eyes.

"Well you couldn't have a reunion without me, could ya?" He countered.

"Clu was just explaining how he's here with some of his college buddies," Irene said, her arms over her chest. "They're staying down the street, and happened to drive by the tour bus last night."

"So I thought, 'Hey! That's where Fi's staying!' So I hightailed over here as soon as we were settled in, and here you guys are!" Clu exclaimed.

"Wait until Carey sees you," Jack said with a slight smirk.

"Carey's here, too?" Clu asked. "Whoa. This is so cool! It's like, we're all together again!"

Annie snickered. "Exactly, Clu."

"Looks like we're going to need more cereal," Melinda said, looking at the twins who burst out laughing.

"Thank you," Molly said quietly to her sister-in-law as Annie and Fi dragged Clu into the living room. Jack watched them for a moment, and then came to his mother's side.

"Hey Mom, has Fi been acting weird?" He asked.

"No," Molly said slowly, looking at Fi as she sat with Clu and Annie on the couch. "I mean, she seems a little more grown-up, but that's to be expected."

Jack frowned, watching as his sister laughed at one of Clu's jokes.

"Don't worry, baby. You're sister is just growing up," Molly said, pulling Jack to her side.

"Yeah, growing up," Jack said, his eyes drifting to Annie, and then back to Fi.

SO WEIRD

"So what have you been up to?" Fi asked.

"What she said," Annie said quickly. "We haven't seen you Molly's concert back home."

"Yeah, how did everything turn out with that 'amnesia' incident, anyways?" Fi asked, looking pointedly at Annie.

"That was so weird," Clu said. "I can't believe we forgot you. Like, forgot you even existed!"

"Yeah, weird," Annie said. "Must have been something in the water."

Both she and Fi started laughing, Clu frowning with slight confusion.

"Oh Fi, I took this course in mythology," Clu said. "I am officially a junior paranormal investigator. In training."

Fi snickered. "Thanks, Clu. Sounds like a fun idea."

"I thought you weren't into that anymore," Annie said, frowning.

"I can change my mind," Fi said dismissively.

"Mind if I join you?" Jack asked, taking a seat at the chair across from them. Annie smiled.

"Not at all. We were just talking about -."

"Dogs," Clu interrupted.

The three looked at him in confusion, before Fi caught on. "Yeah, dogs," She said with a little smile. "Clu here was thinking of getting a golden retriever."

"A golden retriever, huh?" Jack asked. "I could see it."

"Or maybe a black lab," Clu added.

"Ri-ight," Annie said slowly, looking between Clu and Fi. Then she stood, stretching out. "Actually, I should probably head upstairs and get changed. Busy day today. Fi and I are going bike riding."

"Might as well get a good ride in before hitting the road again," Fi said with a shrug.

"See ya," Annie said, leaving the room.

Jack stared after her for a moment, before standing. "I actually have some college work I should get started on," He said quickly. "One of my professors is expecting us to read 'Great Expectations' for my literature class, so, I'll see you guys later." Then he quickly left the room, following through to where Annie had just disappeared.

"Well that was funny," Clu said.

"Yeah," Fi agreed, staring after her brother with bewilderment.

Clu frowned. "Do you think Jack likes Annie?" He asked.

Fi's head whipped around in surprise. "Jack? And _Annie_? Why would you say that?" She asked.

"Well, they do spend a lot of time together," Clu replied.

"I guess they do," Fi replied, a slight smile coming across her face. "So why didn't you want to talk about the paranormal in front of Jack?"

"Well, between you and me, he sort of has this thing where he's completely against it," Clu whispered.

"But he's always been against it," Fi replied.

"Yeah, but after that whole 'forgetting Annie' thing," He said, making air quotes as he spoke, "He's even more against it. He made Annie promise not to get involved in anymore weird things."

"What are you saying?" Fi inquired.

"I'm just saying that before that, he was at least a _little_ accepting. Now, if anyone brings up the paranormal, he walks out of the room."

"Do you think it has something to do with Annie?"

"Maybe," Clu said with a light shrug. "So … speaking of the paranormal. Anything interesting happen?"

"No," Fi admitted. "But I have a feeling things are about to be shook up."

So Weird

Annie stepped out of the bedroom, toothbrush and toothpaste in hand, only to have someone grab her from behind and pull her into the bathroom.

"Hey!" Annie tried to exclaim, only to have a hand put over her mouth. After several moments of struggling, she caught sight of the reflection behind her in the mirror, and jerked away.

"Jack!" She snapped, rubbing at her arm angrily. "What are you trying to do? Scare me to death?"

"I need to talk to you," Jack said.

Annie missed the desperation in his voice as she continued to rub her arm. A bruise was bound to form later.

"Yeah, well you didn't need to be so rough."

"_Annie_."

She froze, slowly looking up and meeting Jack's troubled eyes. "What's wrong?" She asked quickly. When he still said nothing, she frowned. "Is this about yester-?"

"No," Jack interrupted. "Well, sort of. It's more about last night."

"What happened last night?" Annie asked with concern.

"I had this dream," Jack said carefully, taking a seat on the tub. "Or, at least, I thought it was a dream. Now I'm not too sure."

Annie took a seat beside him.

"Well, what happened?"

"I couldn't sleep, so I decided to take a walk. But it sounded like Fi was having a nightmare, so I came in to check on her."

Annie nodded with encouragement, while Jack looked down; hoping Annie wouldn't see his slight blush as he thought about checking on her, too.

"Then she got up and I thought she was sleepwalking, so I followed after her. You know, to make sure she was alright. She wound up on the bus with the book." He looked up, and met Annie's eye.

"You mean … the Celtic Spell Book?" Annie asked.

"Exactly."

"So what happened?"

"I don't remember," Jack snapped, jumping up. Annie looked at him with some surprise.

"You don't … remember?"

"I remember talking to Fi, or, this person who _looked_ like Fi, but it wasn't her. Then there was this light, and I woke up here."

"In the bathroom?" Annie asked.

"No," Jack snapped impatiently. "_Here_, in the house."

For several moments Annie said nothing. Then she looked up at Jack as he paced back and forth, awaiting her answer.

"Did it feel like a dream?" She asked carefully.

Jack shot her an annoyed. "What do you mean; did it _feel_ like a dream?"

"Well, most humans have trouble remembering dreams," Annie replied. "They're so delicately weaved that they can easily be broken. It's like popping a bubble. The dream plane can be a very dangerous thing. Some people say that the dream plane is just another state parallel to our own, and when you break from a dream, a part of you gets taken with it."

"So?"

"So it sounds like it was a dream," Annie said slowly. "But dreams have a different atmosphere than that of this world. Did this have that same dream-like atmosphere?"

Jack said nothing for a moment, reflecting back to the night before. "No," He said quietly. "It felt real."

"Are you sure?" Annie asked. "Sometimes it's hard to tell the difference."

"There's one way to be sure," Jack replied, meeting Annie's eyes. "We check the book."

"The book?"

"Fi read something out of the book," Jack admitted. Annie jumped up.

"She did!? Well that's great!"

"No, it's not," Jack snapped. "That imposter was speaking in riddles. Something about seeing the truth."

"Maybe Fi needs to see it."

"She doesn't," Jack growled. "She never needs to see what's out there."

Annie looked at him with surprise, but didn't back down. "You can't protect her from everything, Jack."

"I can try."

"Hey, can you keep it down!" A voice snapped from the hall. Carey. "Some of us are trying to sleep."

For several moments neither Annie nor Jack said anything. Finally looked up and met Jack's eyes. "I know you're trying to do what you think is best, Jack. Fi did the same thing. But you're both wrong. Denying destiny isn't going to protect anyone. It will just hurt."

His eyes widened in surprise as Annie pulled open the door.

"I have to take a shower, and you have to do some research," She replied quietly.

Jack studied her for a moment, reaching for the door. "What do you know, Annie?"

And the girl simply smiled at him in reply. "Me? I don't know anything." Then she moved him out the door and closed it, locking it into place behind her. Jack stared at the door for several seconds before moving down the hallway. On the other side Annie was leaning against the door, wondering where those words had come from; at the same time knowing she was getting herself involved in something that wasn't meant for her.

So Weird

She let herself be swept up into the dance as she had for the past three nights. This time she could make out more faces behind the elegant feather masks. Off to the corner Jack and Annie were holding hands, twirling around. Carey had found someone to dance with. No one that Fi could recognize, but it was someone. Even Clu was dancing. He'd danced with Fi earlier. She had switched partners a couple of times, her eyes always out for the raven-haired man she'd danced with before. Him; and her Father.

Clu's cousin Danny and Laura – the young girl who was a werewolf - whisked past her, vanishing back into the crowd. She'd begun to notice that most people here she'd met before – on her trips.

The atmosphere was so care-free. There were no worries, no problems. Everyone was so happy. In fact, it was such a comfort that Fi couldn't help but let her mind drift away. As she had those times before, she let herself go. She became lost in the orchestra, in the pace of the dance, and soon in the gold of her partner's eyes.

She wanted to cry out when she realized that the dark haired man had suddenly switched places with her other dancing partner. Without her notice. He grinned down at her, quickly moving into the pace of the dance.

"Aren't you glad to see me?" He asked quietly.

"More like surprised," Fi replied. "How did you -."

"This is my land," He replied quietly. "I can do whatever I want here. Create any illusion I want."

"So all of this is an illusion?"

"Do you want it to be, Fiona?" He asked quietly.

"No," Fi admitted. "I wish it were real."

"It could be," He said, running a hand down her cheek.

Fi hesitated, and then shook her head. "Who are you?" She demanded.

"You ask this every night," He said.

"And every night you evade the question."

The boy sighed. "What does it matter – my name? It wouldn't make a difference."

"Why do you keep bringing me here?" Fi asked, pulling out of his grasp. The music stopped and so did the people. "What are you looking for?"

The boy seemed annoyed, glancing at the strange looks he was getting from his guests, before he grabbed Fi's arm, a dark smile curling his face. "How about some punch, eh?"

"I don't want any punch," Fi snapped, trying to break free from his grip. Without even realizing it they were in front of the snack table.

"Here, just try it," He said, pushing the cup to her lips.

"No!" Fi hissed, knocking it over. "Why am I here? What have you done with my Father?"

"Your Father has nothing to do with this!" He snapped angrily.

"Is he being held here? Where is here? Is this the dream plane?"

"You're asking too many questions," He said with a growl, narrowing his eyes down at Fi.

"And you're not answering any. Who are you, really?"

"I'm going to be your end, Fiona. If you refuse to join us, we will be your end."

SO WEIRD

Fi jumped up, panting for breath, only to realize she had hit Annie. The girl stumbled back in surprise.

"Are you okay?" She asked with worry. "You looked like you were having a nightmare."

"I was," Fi muttered, rubbing her eyes. "What time is it?"

"It's noon. I was going to see if you wanted to go for that bike ride, but if you're still tired …" Her voice trailed off as she looked away.

"No, that's okay," Fi said quickly, climbing out of the bed. "I hadn't meant to fall asleep. I just thought is I rested my eyes for a few moments."

"What were you dreaming about?" Annie asked with interest.

"Nothing," Fi said quickly, giving Annie a half-smile. "Just a little nightmare."


	5. Chapter 5

CHAPTER FIVE

Annie looked over at Fi as the two were flying down the road on their bikes. The brunette hadn't said much regarding the dream she'd had, and Annie wasn't one to butt in. Still, she was worried for her friend. Especially if whatever Jack was worried about really happened.

"What's wrong?"

Annie looked up, trying to give her friend a reassuring smile. The truth was, up until now they'd both been rather quiet.

"Nothing. I'm just thinking."

"Anything interesting?" Fi inquired.

Annie just shook her head, and the two rode in silence for several more minutes. Finally Fi pulled off to the side, Annie following quickly behind her.

"What's up?" Annie asked.

"Nothing," Fi replied. "I just thought we could walk for a little while. Really stretch those legs, you know?"

"I guess," Annie said. They started to walk down the deserted street. "So Seattle's nice."

Yeah, it's alright," Fi said dismissively.

"I bet you made a lot of friends or -." She stopped when Fi simply looked blankly at her. Slowly licking her lips she bent down, catching sight of a shiny object.

"Hey, a penny!" She exclaimed, picking it up. "And it's on heads. Sounds like we're in store for good luck!"

"Annie, is there something going on between you and Jack?" Fi asked.

Well, it hadn't been what Annie was expecting. In fact, it was the least thing Annie had suspected. "What?" She asked, standing straighter. "Why would you think that?"

"It's just … Clu said something earlier about how you two were getting really close, you know?"

"Me and Clu?"

"No! You and Jack."

"Fi, Jack's been like a big brother to me," Annie said slowly. "The thought of him … and _me_?" She suddenly blushed.

"Well have you ever thought about it?"

"I don't know." She started playing with the penny in her hand. "I guess it maybe crossed my mind once or twice." She looked up quickly. "But I would never do something like that. Especially if you didn't approve of it, Fi. We're such good friends; I wouldn't want to take that risk."

"Is that the only reason you wouldn't?" Fi asked, meeting Annie's eyes.

"Well … There's the whole age difference. And the fact that he probably just sees me as a nuisance …" Her voice trailed off, and she looked over to see Fi smiling. "What's so funny?"

"You," Fi replied with a grin. "You totally like my brother."

Annie looked down.

"Its fine, I don't care," Fi said.

"Really?"

"Yeah! Jack could use an open-minded girlfriend," Fi explained. Annie tried to hide her blush.

"I thought we were just talking about me and him liking each other. You never said anything about dating," She said.

"Well that's what any other normal teenage girl would do with the teenage boy that she likes," Fi stated with a slight laugh.

"Is it that obvious?" Annie asked.

"More-so with Jack than with you," Fi replied. "But I've known him my whole life, so I guess I have some advantage … I think it would be really cool if you two went out. You never know where it could lead you."

"I don't think Molly would be too thrilled," Annie said. "I mean, we practically live together. Besides, I'll be leaving in two weeks, and then where would we be? It would just be another long-distance relationship, and that's what broke Gabe and Jack up in the first place."

"That's not true," Fi replied. "For Gabe and Jack there just wasn't the right … chemistry. The feeling was there, but it was lacking in sincerity. They're better off as friends."

Annie didn't say anything for several minutes. Finally she sighed. "It doesn't matter if I like him, Fi. It wouldn't work. It's like I already said – I'm just a nuisance to him."

"Don't be so sure," Fi replied just as a boy darted out from behind a car and knocked into Fi.

"Hey!" Annie called after him, before turning and helping Fi up. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Fi said quickly, peering past Annie's shoulder just to see a car spin around the corner. Annie turned quickly, following Fi's gaze. Everything seemed to slow down for just a moment as the two watched the car coming right for them. And then they were pushed out of the way and onto the grass, the car speeding away.

SO WEIRD

The book wasn't there. Jack knew no one had gone into the bus after they left it yesterday, so it should have still been there. But it wasn't. His dream was beginning to seem more and more realistic. He tried to shake his head, moving to Fi's door. Witchcraft? Spirits possessing his sister? Surely he'd gone off the deep end. Yet here he was, outside his sister's room, planning to search through her things for some answer to all this madness.

He gently pushed open the door, peering around the make certain Fi was out with Annie.

"Hey, what are you doing?"

Jack jumped at Clu's voice, spinning around quickly to see the older boy standing there. "I'm …"

"Fi went out riding bikes with Annie," Clu replied, taking a sip of his soda. "Or is it Annie that you're looking for?"

"How come you didn't go with them?" Jack asked quickly.

Clu shrugged. "I think Fi wanted to talk to Annie about something. Besides, I sort of wanted to talk to you."

"So talk to me," Jack said, stepping inside Fi's room. Clu followed quickly behind him.

"Whoa," He said. "It's pretty cool in here."

"It's just like Fi's room back home," Jack replied, looking over the room before heading to the dresser.

"Bro, what are you doing?" Clu asked, peering over Jack's shoulder.

"I'm looking for something," Jack replied. Then he frowned, looking at Clu. "You wouldn't happened to have seen that old book Fi has, would you? The one my aunt gave her?"

"From the play that we can't say the name of? No, not since Fi left, anyways."

"Oh," Jack said.

"Why are you looking for it?"

"Because I've lost my mind," Jack murmured, moving to Fi's desk.

"Then you should be looking for your mind, dude. Not a book." His face lit up. "Unless there's a spell in the book to help you find it! Deep."

"No, there's not a … will you help me look?!"

"For what?"

"The book!" Jack exclaimed with exasperation.

"Oh yeah," Clu replied, quickly checking under the bed. "I don't think it's here. Why are we looking for it, anyways?"

"Because we can't let Fi have it," Jack replied.

Clu stared at him for several minutes, before blinking. "Huh? But I thought your aunt gave it to her."

"Clu," Jack said slowly, turning and looking at his friend. "You see Fi like a sister, right?"

Clu pondered it for a few moments. "Yeah, I guess."

"You wouldn't want to see her get hurt, would you? I mean, if you knew that something wanted to hurt her, you'd do anything you could to keep her safe, right?"

"Like a knight," Clu chuckled, his laughter dying down when he saw how ashen Jack's face was. "Hey, man, what's going on?"

"Nothing," Jack replied, rubbing his eyes. He took a seat on the cot that Annie was using, and sighed. "This is just getting ridiculous."

"What is?" Clu asked, taking a seat on Fi's bed and looking his friend over.

"Clu, something's going on," Jack said slowly, meeting his friend's eye. "Fi's in trouble."

"She is!?" He exclaimed, jumping up. "With who?"

"I don't know," Jack replied. "I just know I'm supposed to make sure she's going to succeed with … whatever she's doing."

"I'm lost," Clu said.

"Join the club," Jack muttered.

The two sat in silence for a couple of moments. Finally Jack looked at Clu. "Hey, what did you want to ask me, anyways?"

"Oh." Clu said. "Did you notice that Fi …" He frowned, trying to find the right words.

"Is crazy?" Jack suggested.

"No!" Clu exclaimed. "She's different."

"Clu …" Jack said slowly.

"I mean she looks different."

"Well it's been a year since we've seen her," He said with a shrug. "She's bound to look older."

"Do you think she has a boyfriend?" Clu asked.

"I don't know," Jack said, a hint of annoyance stepping into his voice. "I hope not. She's too young for a boyfriend."

"Right," Clu said quickly, nodding his head. "Too young."

Jack stood and glanced around. "I guess Fi doesn't have the book."

"No, it doesn't appear so," Clu said, giving his friend a dorky laugh. "So how about we go find Cary and check out Seattle? We might run into Fi and Annie."

"I never realized that now we're going to have to listen to both of them jabbering on about ghosts and UFO's," Jack said, rolling his eyes.

Clu smirked. "Sounds like we're in for a good time."

SO WEIRD

The weight over Fi and Annie quickly removed itself, pulling the two girls to their feet. "We don't have much time," The woman said quickly, moving to the grass. "We have to get out of here before they circle back."

"Who are they?" Fi panted, peering back at where the car had gone.

"I don't want to wait around to find out," Annie said quickly, following behind the woman as she moved across the grass. Fi picked up pace and moved with them.

"They're …unusual," The woman said slowly. "I'm Morghan, by the way. Morghan Steets."

Fi took the time to look the woman over. Now that she got a better look at her, she could see that she couldn't have been much older than her. Her long brown curls were tied back in a ponytail. Half her face was hidden by the old baseball cap that she wore on her head. Her clothes were loose and comfortable – sweat pants and a tee with a sweat jacket over her shoulders. From what Fi could see, the girl seemed like your average college student.

"Oh, we're -," Annie started, only to have Morghan cut her off.

"Oh, I know who you are. I know all about you two, and neither you nor your friends are going to be safe until you leave here."

"What's going on?" Fi asked. "All we're getting are half answers!"

Morghan glanced over her shoulder at Annie, before meeting Fi's eyes. "Those guys are working with spirits of the netherworlds. They're a couple of newbies, and they'll be relatively easy to outrun. But you two only have so long before they send out the bigger guys."

"I've lived here for almost a year now," Fi countered. "How come this is the first I've seen of them."

"This is the first time you've been a threat to them," Morghan replied. She checked quickly over her shoulder. "We'd better hurry. I have to get you two back to the others before they catch us."

"How do you know about us?" Annie asked.

For several moments she said nothing. Finally she looked up from her shoes. "I'm a psychic. I stumbled onto all this by accident."

"All of it?" Fi asked incredulously.

"Maybe you wouldn't be in this situation if you had left well enough alone," Morghan snapped back.

"You're not going to start arguing, are you?" Annie asked.

"What did I do?" Fi demanded.

"You read from the book!" Morghan snapped, spinning on her heels and looking pointedly at Fi.

AN: And that's the end of chapter five. Don't worry, i don't think Morghan will be too important to the storyline. Maybe a few minor things, but she's just a way of gathering information. I'll try to get the next update out soon, but I'm swamped with school and stuff, so it might take a little while. Oh, and thanks for the review, GABWR. You'll find out soon enough about the guy in her dreams – we've seen him before! More reviews are welcomed!


	6. Chapter 6

CHAPTER SIX

"What?" Fi asked, staring at the woman with confusion.

"So it's true," Annie said, looking from Morghan to Fi with amazement. "What happened?"

"I didn't read from the book," Fi said darkly. "You saw me put it down."

The blond seemed torn, looking from her friend to the older girl. "Are you sure that was the only time you were near the book?" Annie asked uncertainly. "Is there a chance you don't … remember being near the book?"

"How would I not remember?" Fi shot back, glowering at her friend.

"We don't have time!" Morghan snapped. "They could be following behind us as we speak. Don't you get it, Fi? You're no longer protected! You thought giving all of that up would help you, and it did. It slid your destiny into Annie, but then you called it back, and everything's a mess!"

"But I never read from the book!" Fi growled. "The last time I even _saw_ the book was when I gave up my gift. And yesterday, but Annie will tell you I didn't do anything with it."

A twig snapped somewhere nearby.

"What was that?" Annie asked, looking up nervously.

Morghan's eyes widened. "It could be them," She said quietly. She grabbed Annie and Fi, though the brunette put up some protest, and pulled them behind a bush.

Annie frowned. "A bush?" She whispered incredulously.

"Shh!" Morghan hissed.

Annie rolled her eyes. "You think no one will see us in a _bush_?"

"Maybe she's wrong about this. Just like she's wrong about me calling back my gift," Fi smirked.

"You _did_ call it back!" Annie snapped.

There were several moments of silence as the group processed this. Even Morghan, who was about to yell at both of them to just stop talking, found herself staring at Annie with shock.

"What?" Fi asked.

"Annie?"

The girls jumped in surprise to see Jack staring down at them with confusion. "Why are you in a bush?"

"We were … digging," Annie said, quickly getting up and brushing off her pants. Fi and Morghan quickly followed her movement, standing.

"Digging?" Jack asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"Yeah," Fi said slowly glancing at Annie out of the corner of her eye. "We were digging for …"

"Mushrooms," Morghan provided. Jack glanced at her with surprise, and then his eyes went back to Annie.

"Why were you looking for mushrooms?"

"Uhh…"

"Hey, you found them!" Clu called, coming up, Carey following behind him.

"Were you guys looking for us?" Fi asked, looking at the boys accusingly.

"Did you happen to come across any people in a beat up old car?" Annie asked, looking hopefully at Jack.

"Eh … no. Why?"

"We did see a UFO," Clu said.

Carey gave him a slightly annoyed look. "We already went through this, Clu. It was an airplane."

"Or was it?" Clu asked, raising his eyebrows mysteriously.

Fi rolled her eyes.

"Hey, who's your friend?" Carey asked, noticing Morghan for the first time.

"Morghan Steets," She said quickly. "I was just catching up with Fi and Annie about your home town. Sounds really cool."

"Were you 'digging' with them?" Jack asked.

"No," Morghan said. "I'm going to be leaving them to do the digging. And the bickering. I'm going to go now."

"Want me to walk you home?" Carey offered. Clu and Jack snickered, exchanging knowing looks. "I've never been to Seattle before."

"Can you find your way back?" Morghan asked.

"I'm sure I could figure it out," Carey replied. Morghan grinned, hooking her arm with him.

"Let us be off, then," She said, and the two started down the street.

"Hey!" Fi called, following quickly behind them. "We still have a lot to talk about!"

"I'll give you my phone number!" Morghan called over her shoulder. Within moments Carey and Morghan has disappeared onto the next street.

Fi scoffed, looking back at Annie and Jack. "How am I supposed to get her phone number?" She demanded.

"Maybe she's going to give it to Carey," Annie suggested uncertainly.

Clu snickered, causing Fi to hit him playfully.

"So really, what are you guys up to? And who _was_ that girl?" Jack demanded, crossing his arms over his chest.

"That's Morghan," Annie said.

"I think what Jack wants to know is how did you meet her?" Clu whispered.

"Thank you, Clu. And why were you asking about an old beat up car? I'm beginning to think you're keeping secrets from me!" Jack exclaimed.

"Keeping secrets? From _you_, Jack? Never," Fi said. "Come on, I think we should probably head back to Aunt Melinda's. Mom's show is going to start soon." She linked arms with Clu and the two started walking, Annie and Jack listening as she asked Clu about college. After a moment the two looked at each other.

"What's going on?" Jack asked.

"I doubt you'd believe me if I told you."

"Try me," Jack said, crossing his arms over his chest. Annie sighed.

"I think … we're in trouble."

"You and Fi?" Jack asked.

"All of us," Annie replied. "It had been just me and Fi, but I think it's spread to you. Maybe even Carey and Clu, I'm not sure."

"Who are you in trouble with?" Jack asked.

Annie hesitated. "I think it may be the spirit world." Then she added, before Jack could roll his eyes, "Morghan is a psychic. I know you don't want to believe any of this, Jack, but its happening. Someone tried to run us over."

"What!?" Jack demanded. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Nothing really happened!" Annie exclaimed. "That's beside the point. The point is that Morghan said that Fi read from the book. Fi doesn't remember it, but after your dream last night, I think maybe -."

"Annie, it was just a dream," Jack said harshly.

"Will you just listen!?"

"I want to listen to you, Annie. I wouldn't mind believing you, but I can't find any proof that what happened really … happened. It was just a dream, Anne. A stupid dream that I was hung up on for a few minutes, but I'm over it now. So stop trying to pin it on some ridiculous conspiracy that you and my sister have concocted."

Annie narrowed her eyes, before stomping off.

"Where are you going!?" Jack called after her.

"You're so pig headed, Jack Phillips!" She snapped, giving him a quick backwards look before catching up with Fi and Clu. Jack rubbed his eyes tiredly and then followed slowly behind them. How much longer could he keep this charade up?

SO WEIRD

"Well look who finally decided to show up," Jack said, turning on the couch to see Carey coming through the door. He placed his magazine down and studied his friend. "Something wrong?"

Carey met his eye, for a moment he seemed dazed. Then he grinned. "No, everything's perfect."

"Oh boy," Jack muttered under his breath. He stood.

"Hey, where is everybody?" Carey asked, looking around.

"They went to mom's concert," Jack replied.

"How come you didn't go?" Carey asked, looking at him with surprise.

"Eh, I wasn't feeling well," Jack lied. "Headache." In fact, he didn't want to have to deal with the strange looks Annie kept giving him. And then the whispers going on between her and Fi – it was getting on his nerves. He just needed some time to himself. Besides, someone had to wait for Carey.

"I'm sorry," Carey said, realization dawning on his face. "I forgot all about the concert."

"Hey, don't worry about it. Fi wanted to cover your sets in the songs," Jack said with a shrug.

Carey blinked. "Fi? Playing music? Was she switched with an …" He let the thought trail off and then shook his head. "Never mind, I don't want to know."

Jack smirked. "Apparently she took some guitar lessons over the school year. She's not the best, but with Annie's help I'm sure she'll make it through this one performance. So what took you so long, anyways? You've been gone almost three hours."

"Oh, Morghan and I went and got some ice cream before I took her home."

"And that took you three hours?"

"Well there was a lot of ice cream to choose from. And then it turned out her house was almost ten blocks away, and by the time I got halfway home I realized that I'd gone the wrong way. Then I got lost. I was lucky enough to come across some kids in the twins' grade who knew where they lived."

Jack winced. "Doesn't sound like fun," He said.

Carey shrugged in response, tossing his jacket on the chair. "It wasn't too bad."

"So how did the date go?" Jack asked, grinning.

"It wasn't a date," Carey replied, giving Jack an annoyed look, though a smile was creeping into his face.

Jack picked an apple off of the kitchen table, gave it a slight toss, and pointed at Carey. "You like her."

"I hardly know her," Carey replied. "Anyways, I spent half the time we were together talking about school."

Jack nodded, took a bite from the apple and then moved for the couch, Carey following behind him, his hands in his pockets.

"I still can't get over how big your Aunt's house is," Carey said, looking around.

"There's an attic, too," Jack said, picking up his magazine. Just as he was about to put his feet up a loud crash came from upstairs. Jack and Carey looked up with surprise.

"Did Clu stay home with you?" Carey asked.

"No," Jack said slowly. "I stayed here alone."

The two exchanged nervous looks just as there was another loud thump.

SO WEIRD

Jack held the bat high over his head, Carey holding a kid's play sword. "What if there's nobody in here?" He whispered.

"Then we have nothing to worry about," Jack replied.

Suddenly the door to the twins room burst open, causing Jack and Carey to jump back in surprise, ready to smash their weapons down on whoever opened the door.

Yet the room was empty, and as the two peered inside, they could see that the window was wide open.

"The … wind blew it open?" Carey suggested, though it sounded more hopeful than anything else.

"That sounds logical," Jack replied, tossing the baseball bat onto one of the beds.

"Yeah … logical."

The two moved into the room, looking around. After a moment Carey stopped at the dresser. "Who's this?" He asked, gesturing to the man in the picture.

"Oh, that's my Uncle Ryan. He and my Aunt Melinda got a divorce a few years ago," Jack replied, glancing at the picture of the older man.

"It's a shame everyone seems to get divorced nowadays," Carey said.

Jack smirked. "Hey, social change is just a part of life," He replied.

Carey turned away. "How cool. They both have their own closets. I wish I had my own closet when I was little. I always had to share with Clu, and he was such a mess. And then he snored all night."

"I know," Jack retorted. "I had to share a room with him on the bus."

The two shared a laugh before a loud hiss of thunder echoed from the sky. Jack frowned.

"Wasn't it sunny earlier?" He asked, glancing at Carey.

The older boy peered out the window. "Must have a storm coming in," He replied. Just then the lights flickered a couple of times before going out together.

"Great!" Jack exclaimed angrily. "Why don't you close that window before the rain comes and soaks the carpet? I'll go downstairs and get some flashlights."

Carey nodded, pushing the window closed. Just as he locked it into place something hit him in the shoulder. He spun around. "Why are you throwing things at …"

He stopped when he saw Jack standing by the door, staring at one of the 'closets'.

"Did you open that?" He asked quietly, his eyes not leaving the door that had somehow opened, light spilling into the dark room.

"I thought all the power went out," Carey said. The two exchanged confused looks, before walking to the door.

Jack peeled back the wood and looked inside to see a brightly illuminated staircase. He frowned. "It's an entrance to the attic," He said with some surprise.

"Jack, when the power goes out, doesn't it usually go out throughout the entire household?" Carey asked.

Jack frowned in response. "Well maybe a fuse was blown. The whole second story could have gone off, but not the rest of the house."

"So … the twins left the light to the attic on by mistake?"

"That makes sense," jack said, nodding his head.

"Then we should turn the light off," Carey continued, glancing at Jack.

"Right. Turn the light off. And then … go downstairs. And get something to eat."

"Like a sandwich."

"Or some ice cream," Jack added.

"And just … pretend this never happened?"

"What happened? Nothing _did_ happen, Carey. This has all been explained," Jack said. He smirked. "We'll have to make sure to tell the twins not to play in the attic anymore. Maybe we can give them a good scare."

Carey chuckled. "Man, that is cruel," He said, shaking his head.

The two shared a laugh before heading up the stairs.


	7. Chapter 7

AN: Look, if you love So Weird, then vote for it to be on a DVD. TVShowsonDVD allows you to vote for DVD's that will be released, and if you love So Weird, then you'll vote. We still have to get 1629 votes, So PLEASE VOTE!!!!!

CHAPTER SEVEN

Fi tried to rub out her headache while at the same time giving Annie a reassuring smile. The blond frowned.

"Are you sure you're okay?" She asked uncertainly, studying her friend.

"I'll be fine," Fi said. "This is just really … confusing. So you're trying to say that Jack had a dream where I called back my sight?"

"It was something like that," Annie replied. The two were walking around outside the club where Molly had just finished performing. The band was inside talking to the manager, packing up and getting ready to head back to Melinda's. Everything had gone mostly well. Fi had messed up on a chord during the first verse of Rebecca, but the weird rip she'd done instead had interested the crowd. It had been fun, but Fi vowed it would be her last time up on a stage. The awful feeling in the pit of her stomach was just too much to deal with again. Annie had just finished explaining as much to Fi as she could. Now she was waiting for Fi to explain.

The brunette glanced down at the ring on her friend's fingers. "So let's go over what we know. According to Morghan, you and I are … sharing the sight?"

"Sharing a destiny, actually," Annie said with a frown. "She said when you gave your sight up your destiny had gone to me. But then it had split between us when you called your gift back up."

"So both of us have the netherworld after us, trying to stop us from completing that destiny … whatever it may be," Fi added.

Annie nodded. "So does that mean that everything we've come across in the past has been this darkness coming after us?"

"I don't think so," Fi said uncertainly. "I mean, I'm sure a few cases were the spirits at work. But the others were just things we handled because we're the only ones who could. It comes with the sight."

"So how do we get it to end?"

"I don't know," Fi said with a sigh. "It's not like we can just call them out or something. Usually these things just come to us."

"What about Jack and the others?" Annie asked.

"What about them?" Fi inquired.

"Well didn't Morghan say they were in trouble, too? Jack more specifically."

Fi swallowed. "I hope not. It's bad enough that I dragged you into this."

Annie gave her a reassuring smile. "It's not your fault. Just know that I'll be with you every step of the way. And I'm sure the boys, too."

"Thanks," Fi said, giving her friend a relieved smile. Then she sighed, thrusting her hands in her pockets. "Annie, I need to tell you something."

"What?" The girl asked.

"I've been having these nightmares," Fi replied. "In it there's this masquerade and everyone is dressed up. Everyone I know is at the dance, even you. Then there's this guy. I don't know what his name is, because he refuses to tell me, but towards the end of the dream he's always trying to convince me to drink something."

"Did you ever drink it?" Annie asked.

"No," Fi said. "It just doesn't feel right, you know? Even though everyone is trying to convince me to."

"Don't," Annie said harshly. "I don't think it's just a dream."

"Neither do I," Fi agreed. "Even worse? I think I'm running out of time. I've barely gotten any sleep because of these dreams, and I'm so tired."

Annie lightly touched Fi's shoulder. "We're not going to let anything happen to you, Fi."

"Thanks," Fi said, giving her friend a hug. "As weird as it is, it's nice to have someone who believes me."

"I agree," Annie said with a laugh. The two pulled away. "Maybe there's a way we can help. A way to enter your dream and make sure you don't drink whatever it is."

"Clu's cousin Danny did something like that, once," Fi said, her face lighting up. "Somehow he pulled Jack in to help him fight his inner demons. Then he pulled Clu and Me in, too. Maybe there's something in that."

"Hopefully," Annie said.

They turned at the corner and started back towards the club, enjoying the feel of the cool night air. After a moment Fi looked up.

"There's one more thing, Annie," She said quietly. "In my dream … I think I saw my Dad."

SO WEIRD

Melinda pushed open the door to her home and held it open so that everyone else can enter. Molly stopped and hung her stuff on the coat hanger. "I am ex_hausted_. I just want to fall into bed and sleep for a year."

"I'm not tired," Fi declared, spinning around exuberantly. "In fact, I could probably stay up all night!"

Irene chuckled. "You need to lay off the caffeine. Five glasses of soda is too much for you."

"I've never seen you so thirsty in your life," Molly added.

"She just needed a sugar rush," Annie replied.

"I think I'll go find Jack. We have a lot to talk about!" Fi exclaimed. Then she ran up the stairs. Annie glanced at the adults who were staring after Fi with confusion.

"That girl's going to want to find a bathroom first, before anything else," Irene muttered, rubbing tiredly at her eyes. The twins giggled at the comment before heading into the living room hoping to get in a few moments of television before they had to go to bed.

"I wonder if Carey came back yet," Clu said. "I was hoping to talk to him before heading back to my friend's house."

"Are you sure you don't want to stay the night?" Melinda asked. "I'm sure we could find some room for you."

"No, that's alright," Clu replied.

"Maybe he's with Jack," Annie suggested. "Come on, we can go check upstairs."

"Alright," Clu said. The two hoped arms and skipped up the stairs, vanishing from the kitchen.

They found Fi standing in the hallway, staring at nothing at all. Annie frowned, pulling away from Clu and walking up to her friend.

"Fi -?" She started, only to have Fi grab her arm and murmur a 'Shh!'

Clu came to their side, looking around in confusion. "What's wrong?" He whispered.

"Jack and Carey aren't here," Fi said, frowning. "But I think someone's in the attic."

"How do we get to the attic?" Annie asked.

"The twin's room," Fi replied.

"So let's check it out," Clu said. He started for a door, and then stopped. "Which room is the twins'?"

"This one," Fi said, pulling open their bedroom door. "But I'll go first."

"No," Clu said, jumping in front of Fi with a grin. "I told Jack that I'd look out for you, Fi, and that's exactly what I plan to do."

"When did Jack ask you to do that?" Annie asked, rolling her eyes.

"Today, when he was looking through Fi's room for that old book," Clu replied.

"What!?" Fi demanded.

"He said you were in trouble," Clu answered, looking at Fi with confusion. Fi's face lit up with annoyance.

"Move, Clu," She snapped, pushing past the tall boy and throwing open the attic door. She stomped up the stairs. Annie quickly flicked on the staircase light switch, and followed after Fi, Clu right on their tail. Fi threw open the attic door to see …

Jack and Carey sitting on the floor, going through a box full of old trinkets. The two looked up in surprise.

"Don't close the door!" Jack snapped, just as Annie started to give it a push. Clu grabbed it, though, just before it could close.

"What's going on up here?" Fi demanded.

"The lights went out," Jack explained, standing.

"The circuit breaker is in the laundry room," Fi replied.

"Well, first we thought there was someone in the house," Carey added. "What?" He asked, after Jack gave him an annoyed look. "We can't exactly pretend it didn't happen when we're caught red handed."

"There was somebody in the house?" Clu asked.

"No," Jack said with annoyance. "The house was making some noises, and maybe we got a little spooked. We came up here to check things out -."

"So that's why there was a baseball bat on the bed," Annie said. Then, after receiving looks from Jack, Fi and Carey, she frowned. "Sorry. Continue."

"When we got up here there was a power outage, or something. But the twins must have left the light on for the attic, though, because it was the only thing lit."

"The twins don't go in the attic," Fi said slowly. Then she explained to the others, "There a few loose floorboards, and it's dangerous. Aunt Melinda usually keeps the attic locked."

"Weird," Clu said.

"Well the door wasn't locked. At least, not until we got in here," Carey replied.

"The wind came in from the open window over there and slammed the door shut. It must have gotten stuck, because we couldn't get it open," Jack finished.

"How long have you guys been up here?" Annie asked with interest.

"About an hour and a half," Carey replied. "We've been looking through all this old junk while we were up here."

"A lot of it is Grandma's old stuff," Jack said. "Old photo albums and stuff."

Annie walked off, checking out the shelves that were full of old porcelain items and such. "It's so cool up here!"

"Yeah, there's some neat stuff," Carey replied. "Jack, you should show them that one figurine."

"What figurine?" Fi asked, suddenly interested.

"Nothing," Jack replied, shooting Carey a dark look. The boy just grinned, and pulled an old figure of two people dancing off of one of the shelves. He gently handed it to Annie. Fi and Clu gathered around, peering over her shoulder.

"She looks like me," Annie said with surprise, brushing her fingers off the face.

"Check out the guy," Carey said.

Clu leaned over, peering at the figurine. "Hey, It's Jack!"

Annie almost dropped the fragile thing in surprise. Instead Fi took it out of her shaking hands and examined it closely.

"Jack?" Annie asked, looking at the older boy. He ran his hand through his hair, and offered a small smile.

"Weird, huh?"

"Weirder than weird," Fi replied. "Check out the engraving on the bottom."

She turned it over and Clu read off, "It says 'Lady Anne Thistle and Sir Jacob Andrews, 1452, England'. Who are they?"

"They were lovers," Fi said. Then she frowned in confusion. "I don't know where that came from."

"They weren't just lovers," Jack said in annoyance, taking the figurine from his sister's hand. "They were married. They had two children before Jacob died in war."

"Wow," Annie said, looking at him with surprise. "How do you know that?"

"It – it was in a book I read," Jack said quickly.

"The resemblance is interesting," Fi said, looking between the two. "Who knows, maybe you guys were Anne and Jacob in a past life."

"That's it," Jack snapped angrily, heading for the door. "I'm not going to listen to this." Then he stormed down the staircase, probably heading for the room he was sharing with Carey.

"Jack!" Annie called after him, frowning. She glanced back at Fi. "What's wrong with him?"

"He's been acting weird all day," Carey supplied. "Especially after he saw that. It was like he saw a ghost or something."

"Or something," Annie repeated, a frown etching her face. She picked up the figurine and looked it over. "Do you think your Aunt will let me keep this?"

"I think she'd say it belongs to you," A voice said from the doorway. They turned to see Melinda standing there, looking the group over. "I had a feeling you might be up here."

"Where did the figurine come from?" Fi asked her aunt.

"It was your Grandmother's," Melinda replied. "She always had this affinity with renaissance love stories. When she found a figurine of one of her favorites, Anne and Jacob, she had to have it. I was five years old when she found that thing. We'd gone to this ridiculous little fair where they were selling old knick knacks and such."

"Do you really think I could keep it?" Annie asked, looking hopeful.

"It's yours," Melinda said with a wave of her hand. "I've been meaning to get rid of this stuff for years. Too much clutter. You guys can look around, if you want. If you find anything interesting, take it. I have no need for this stuff."

"Thank you," Annie said, smiling at Melinda happily. "This means a lot."

"You're welcome," Melinda said with a laugh. Then she looked to Fi. "There are some of your Father's things in here, too. I'd forgotten all about then until now," She said with a light laugh.

"You might want to get this door fixed, Melinda," Carey said, heading for the staircase. "It gets stuck easily."

"Well that's one of the reasons I don't want the twins up here," Melinda said, frowning. "Anyone, really. I never seem to find the time to fix it myself. Anyways, just so long as you're careful, I don't mind you being up here."

"Thanks," Fi replied.

"Cool!" Clu exclaimed, looking over all the things. "You must have a bunch of neat old stuff up here."

Melinda laughed slightly. "Thanks. Well I'm going to head back downstairs. Irene has decided it's a good idea to start singing the Cranberries down in the kitchen. No offense, but she's not very good."

"I know," Clu whispered. "She sings in the shower."

The group shared a laugh before Melinda vanished down the staircase.

Annie glanced down at the figurine, and then at the door. "I'm going to go check up on Jack," She said quietly. "I'm a little worried about him."

The two nodded in agreement.

"Good luck," Fi called. And then it was just her and Clu. She frowned, glancing around the large attic thoughtfully.

"Fi," Clu said quietly.

"Yeah?"

He hesitated a moment, considering what to say. After a moment he shook his head. "Look, I know we haven't seen each other in a really long time, and I was thinking that maybe we should get caught up."

"Sure," Fi said dismissively. "We can get caught up tomorrow. Hey, why don't you check over there and see if any boxes are my Dad's."

Clu frowned, before nodding loyally. "Alright." Whatever it was he had to say … it could wait till tomorrow. It always could wait for tomorrow …

SO WEIRD

"Knock knock," Annie said quietly, peering into the plain bedroom where Jack and Carey were staying. The brunette looked up with a frown, meeting Annie's eye.

"Hey," He replied.

"Hey." She offered a small smile, putting the figurine down on the dresser and taking a seat beside Jack. "What's up?"

Jack shrugged. "Nothing."

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Jack said, annoyance crossing his features. "Really. I don't know what's wrong with me. Maybe I just need some sleep."

"Or maybe you just need someone to talk to. You came to me before, Jack. You don't need to hide whatever's going on just because you're afraid of it."

"I'm not afraid," Jack said, frowning.

"Maybe not for yourself, but for your family - for Fi. Whatever is going on has you so scared that you won't be able to help when the time comes. By denying the truth you're only hurting Fi."

"I'm not denying anything," Jack said with a grimace. Then he ran his hand through his hair with a sigh. "Or maybe I'm denying too much. Why do you do it, Annie?"

"What do you mean?"

"Why do you go along with all of this?"

"Because I have to," Annie replied. "I may not like it sometimes. It may destroy any chance of having an average life again. But I have to go along with it. I can't just run from it. So whatever is going on, you need to tell me. We can't afford to keep any more secrets."

"I know," Jack said quietly. Finally he met Annie's eyes. "I think I've been having visions of the past."

Annie blinked. "Of the past?"

"A past life is more like it," Jack replied. "I know it's hard to believe -."

"No, it's not hard at all," Annie said, a smile forming on her lips.

"Maybe not for you," Jack answered. "But it is for me. You know how hard I've tried just to pass things off as logical."

Annie took his hand. "Tell me more about this past life of yours. Maybe the best way to stop the visions is to find what they're trying to show you."

Jack nervously glanced at the statue on his dresser, and then back at Annie. "I can't exactly say," He said quietly.

"Hey guys," Clu said quietly, stopping by the door. "Fi just got a little tired, so I'm going to take her to bed, okay?" He turned slightly so that Annie and Jack could see a half asleep Fi standing there, trying not to fall asleep.

"I'm fine," She snapped with annoyance. Then she gave a slight yawn. "I'm not tired at all." Then she slumped into Clu's arms.

"Fi!" Jack and Annie exclaimed, jumping up and going to their friend's side.

"She's just tired," Clu replied, giving Fi a gentle nudge. She groaned, burrowing into his shoulder as she tried to keep asleep. Annie bit her lip, exchanging a glance with Jack.

"Why don't you put her in her bed," Jack suggested quietly. "She's looking a little pale."

"She was complaining about being dizzy," Clu relented, before picking Fi up and carrying her down to her room. Annie and Jack stood, frowning.

"We have to find a way to help her," Annie said.

"She seems fine," Jack replied. "I'm sure she's just tired."

"That's not it," Annie replied. "She's been having these nightmares. I'm afraid that if she has anymore, she'll be in danger."

"From a nightmare?" Jack asked incredulously.

"Sleep can have you do a lot of things. We need to find a way to help her." Annie thought for a moment, and then her eyes lit up. "We'll need the book."

"Listen to me, Annie," Jack said, grabbing the blonde's shoulder. "The book is missing. It's not anywhere."

"What do you mean?" Annie asked.

Before Jack could reply, however, Annie gently lifted the key hung around his neck. The same key that Caroline had given him the week before, only now it had a soft blue glow around it.

"It's glowing," Annie said quietly, exchanging concerned looks with Jack. Then the key ripped off of Jack's neck and flung itself into the room, landing by the cot Jack was sleeping on. Jack hesitated, but Annie darted after it, bending down to pick up the small object. She stopped, however, when something else under the bed caught her attention. After a moment she bent down, and pulled out a large, thick book.

"Jack, why do you have the Celtic Book of Magic?" She asked, looking pointedly at her friend.


	8. Chapter 8

CHAPTER EIGHT

Maybe she would find some sort of answers to what had really happened that night all those years ago. Maybe she would find something - anything - that would give her the answers that she so desperately sought. Or maybe, just finding something that had belonged to her Father would help soothe her pain. Fiona couldn't be sure what it was, but just then she didn't care. She wanted to know that she wasn't alone. She wanted to feel that connection again - the one she had lost what seemed like ages ago, but was only but a year. She just wanted to know …

And so she searched through the old boxes, careful not to disrupt any floorboards that may be loose. Clu at her side, the two read through endless titles of long forgotten books; looked at children's toys that had been so memorable to whoever had owned them; glanced at family photo albums. They hadn't been searching for long, of course. But they'd been searching furtively, Clu by her side and almost as anxious as she was.

After a moment she stopped, glancing behind her at Clu. "Why are we doing this?" She asked quietly. He turned and looked at her with surprise.

"I thought you wanted to find something of your Dad's," He said with confusion.

"I do. At least, I thought I did," She frowned, looking down at the box before her. Then she met Clu's eyes. "I've lived here a whole year. If I was going to find anything, wouldn't I have?"

"Hey, now that doesn't sound like the Fi I know," Clu said.

She didn't say anything for several moments, just staring off at the wall. Finally she turned back to Clu, tears glistening in her eyes. "Let's just go, Clu. This was a bad idea."

Clu watched as Fi started for the door. Unbeknownst to the two, an invisible force pushed a box of papers in front of Fi, causing them to scatter all over the floor. Both froze, staring at the papers, before Fi groaned, bending down to pick them up. Clu quickly came to her aid, helping to gather the papers.

"This is just great," Fi muttered, hardly giving the papers a second glance before stuffing them into the box.

Clu frowned, something catching his eye on one of the papers Fi was about to toss back in the box. "Wait," He said, reaching out and pulling it from Fi's hand. She gave him a confused look, but he wasn't paying attention.

"Fi, what are the rest of these papers about?" He asked, looking the one in front of him over.

"I don't know," Fi replied, looking down at the handful in her hand. "They … look like they were torn out of a notebook or something."

"Didn't your dad used to call you Rockerbaby when you were little?" Clu asked, looking up.

Fi's eyes widened in surprise and she pulled the paper from Clu's hands, giving it a thorough look-over. "These are my Dad's notes," She said with surprise. "About … me."

Clu picked up a couple more papers and looked them over. "That's not all their about. Check this out; this says that your Dad was in the middle of some project that had to do with aliens."

Fi's frown deepened, as she glanced through the notes. "That's not all. Look at these documentations. Everything's written about some weird phenomenon or another."

"Hey, like your website!" Clu stated. "The one where you write down all the stuff that's happened to you."

"Yeah," Fi said, her face scrunching up in confusion. Then she turned quickly to meet Clu's eyes excitedly. "Do you know what this means?"

"No." Clue replied, slightly confused.

"It's the proof!" She said excitedly. "The proof that my Father was looking for the same thing as me. This is what my Mom has been hiding from me all these years!"

"Fi," Clu said slowly. "How do you know she's been hiding this? Maybe she didn't even know," He suggested lightly.

Fi shook her head emphatically, grabbing a couple more sheets and looking through them. "This is amazing!" She exclaimed, her eyes skimming through the papers. She stopped at one with a frown.

"Vampires," Clu read. "_I wasn't sure what to do when I discovered the vampire that I'd slain had two young children of his own. Though they weren't exactly vampires – not full ones, anyways – they could still be a threat. In the end I let them be. How could I live knowing I was responsible for taking a Father away from those two children – no matter how dangerous the man was? It would be like someone taking me away from Fi and Jack._"

Fi tried not to let the tears fall from her eyes. "Daddy," She said quietly, letting out a little sniffle. Clu unconsciously put his arm over her shoulder, leaning over to look at more of the papers.

"Wait a minute," Clu said, peering closer. "Didn't we see the Ghost Lights of Marfa?"

"Yeah," Fi replied dismissively, reading through a couple more notes.

"Well how come your Mom didn't mention before that she'd been there with your Dad."

Fi froze, glancing at Clu, her mouth open. "Bricriu?" She asked uncertainly, and then she grinned. "I remember his name!"

"Who's Bricriu?" Clu asked.

"It's hard to explain," Fi replied. "Remind me later to have a long chat with him."

"Right," Clu said slowly.

"I can't believe this," Fi murmured, her face alight. "This whole time … the answers have been right above my head!"

"Talk about weird," Clu stated.

Fi pored over the papers thoughtfully, hoping that somewhere in that mess of papers was the answer to where her Father had gone the night of the accident. Even the truth of where he'd gone could lead to some sort of truth …

_Fiona_.

She froze, recognizing the voice as the same she'd heard several nights ago when she'd sat outside. She glanced behind her, expecting to see someone. Instead there was nothing. She stood slowly, looking around uncertainly. After a moment Clu noticed her strange actions.

"Fi?" He asked uncertainly.

She, of course, took no notice of him. Instead her eyes drifted to the strange ball of light that had somehow entered the attic. It was similar to the lights of Marfa, and yet, different. It expanded, soon stretching into the figure of a young woman. She glanced nervously behind her, before turning back to Fi.

"Who are you?" Fi asked with a frown.

"Fi, there's nobody there," Clu said, standing behind her.

_An cara. Sna triobloid, tusa. _ (AN: Sorry I suck at Gaelic. Doing the best I can, here. Supposed to say: A friend. You're in trouble)

"Don't you speak English?" Fi asked hopefully. "Please, why are you here?"

_chuig rabhadh. Siad tar._ (… they come)

Suddenly another voice filled the attic. This much more comprehensible.

"You can't run forever," It said softly.

Fi swallowed hard. The girl before her suddenly appeared frantic, as she desperately tried to get Fi's attention. But within a moment something forced her back to being the small little ball of light she'd once been.

"No, wait!" Fi cried, reaching out. Only for someone to take her hand. She looked up, startled to see the boy from her dream standing there, in her attic. She opened her mouth, trying to think of something to say. She tried to peer over his shoulder, but the ball of light had vanished.

"Don't worry about her," The boy whispered.

"Fi?" Clu asked, reaching out to shake her. After all, she was talking to nothing.

"Dance with me, Fiona," The boy suggested in his silky voice.

"But I have nothing to wear."

He smirked and gestured at her clothes.

Fi glanced down at herself, to see that she'd once again changed into a magnificent ball gown. This time made up of pale blue and silk. Her head shot up and as she saw her eyes, once more covered by the feathers of a mask, she also noticed that the attic had become a beautiful ballroom.

"Dance with me, Fiona," He said, pulling her close.

Clu watched in disbelief as Fi glanced over an imaginary person's shoulder, and then told the same imaginary person that she had nothing to wear. It was as she looked up from taking a glance at her clothes that she fell. He caught her quickly, seeing the way she seemed to be asleep.

"Fi?" He inquired, brushing a hand over her cheek. She stirred, before groaning.

"Leave me alone, Clu," She murmured, softly.

He sighed, before lifting her up and heading for the bottom of the staircase, intent on finding Annie and Jack.

SO WEIRD

Annie waited patiently, hoping to get an answer out Jack. Instead, he simply stared at her, dumbfounded.

"I haven't the slightest idea," He finally said, taking the book from Annie's hands.

"Is it possible that Fi never had the book?" Annie asked uncertainly. "That maybe … _you_ took it?"

"Of course not," Jack snapped, although that was the way it was beginning to seem. "I would remember something like that."

"Are you sure?" Annie asked.

Jack hesitated. Then sighed. "I suppose with everything else that's been going on … maybe it's a possibility."

"Maybe?"

"Whatever," Jack grumbled. Annie quickly pulled open the book, looking through for anything that could give a hint to how to help Fi.

"Can you read Celtic?" She asked, looking hopefully up at Jack.

"No. I can't even pronounce it," He admitted.

"Well why don't you give it a try," Annie suggested, sliding the book his way. He frowned, glancing at it speculatively. "Come it. This sort of thing must run in your family, or something."

"Or something," Jack repeated, running his hands through his hair. "Alright, I'll give it a shot."

"Great! I'll go check on Fi."

She vanished from the room, leaving Jack alone with the book. He groaned, staring down at the unknown words, before pushing the away with a grunt. There was no way he could read that. It was Fi's thing, not his. He glanced around to the room, his eye catching on the key that Annie had left lying on the floor after her discovery of the book. Jack reluctantly pulled it up, before pulling it over his head and letting it settle back into its rightful place. Then he glanced back at the book with annoyance …

Only to notice that the words that had once been in Celtic were now in English.

"How -?" He started, stopping to finger the dimly glowing key. He picked up the book and started for the door, hoping to show Annie.

When he arrived at Fi's bedroom he saw that Annie and Clu were chatting while Fi was sound asleep in her bed.

"I think I found something," Jack interrupted.

"I knew you could do it," Annie said with a smile.

"Yeah, but whatever it is, you'd better hurry, man," Clu replied. Off of Jack's surprised look, he added, "Well, Annie sort of explained to me your theory on Fi not just being tired. And then I told her about how Fi had been talking to imaginary people back in the attic."

"Wait, Fi was talking to imaginary people?" Jack said with a slight smirk.

"No time for joking, Jack," Annie said, quickly peering over his shoulder at the book. "What did you find?"

"For starters? That this key is helping me translate the book into English."

"Excellent!"

"And the other thing is that there's a paragraph in here about portals through dreams. According to the book, there are many doorways into different planes of existence. One of the main planes that the human body is capable of entering is the dream plane. For the most part, the soul is capable of passing into their own dream plane where they can control the world around them, and bend it to their will. But sometimes there's a powerful darkness that can, with the help of another powerful being, enter one's dreams and control it."

"Deep," Clu said, shaking his head in disbelief.

Fi suddenly stiffened, muttering under her breath. She let out a soft whimper, before turning over.

"Well does it say how to go into the manipulated dream and alter it?" Annie demanded.

Jack frowned. "Are you sure she's not just … asleep?"

"Think about it, dude. Talking to imaginary people, having dreams about some guy and a ballroom. Seeing her Dad? Doesn't it all seem a bit too much to be coincidental?"

"I agree with Clu," Annie replied, ignoring the dark look Jack was given her. "If we don't stop Fi from drinking the wine in her dream, then chances are that she won't wake up from her nightmare right a way. Maybe even never. And if she does wake up, we could all be in danger. I know a lot about the possibilities of dreams. They're not something to toy with."

"Alright," Jack said reluctantly, putting the book down before them. "There's something in here that mentions a key. It sort of looks like a poem."

"Maybe it's an incantation," Annie suggested, her eyes lighting up. "What does it say, exactly?"

"I'm not sure," Jack admitted. "This part won't translate."

"Maybe it's supposed to be read in Celtic," Clu suggested.

"Clu, you're a genius!" Annie exclaimed, throwing her arms around the taller boy. Then she pulled away, looking excitedly at Jack. "Maybe the Celtic magic will only work when used in its own language."

"I can't read Celtic, Annie," Jack said with annoyance.

"I'm sure you could try," The blond replied, pulling the book onto her lap. "The way I see it, some of that Celtic magic must run through your veins."

"Annie … magic? Now you're sounding entirely out of it," Jack stated.

"Read it, Jack. Whoever is in Fi's dreams aren't going to let her get away again. Don't you get it? The darkness wants her. They want to make sure she can never live up to her destiny. Ever. They don't care if they kill her."

Jack glanced at his sister. She seemed so peaceful, as if she was just dreaming. It was hard to believe anything Annie was suggesting. Still, if his baby sister was just possibly in trouble …

"Alright," Jack said, slightly defeated. "I'll give it a shot."

Altruir domeste, andelugh hadt.

Martsistol alrigad, lenehargh elbest

(too late at night for looking up gaelic/celtic. Making words up)

He looked up, seeing Annie's disappointed face. "Nothing happened," She said quietly.

"See. I told you the whole magic thing was …"

And then there was a slight rumble, echoing along the old Seattle house. Seconds later a large door burst into the middle of the room.

The three stared in shock, uncomprehending. Finally, after several moments of just staring, Annie stood and approached the door.

"Don't," Jack snapped, grabbing her elbow and pulling her back. "You can't go first. It could be dangerous."

"It's just a door," Annie said, a vague hint of annoyance gracing her features.

"Yeah, a mystical door into the dream world," Clu added.

"Look, I summoned it here – as ridiculous as that sounds – and now I will test it. I can't risk you getting hurt. Do you understand?"

Annie reluctantly nodded, pulling away. Jack strode up to the door, looking it over thoughtfully. Then he reached for the doorknob and gave it a little turn …

And nothing happened. The door was locked.

Annie let out an annoyed groan. "Now how are we going to save Fi?" She demanded angrily.

"Wait a minute," Clu said, standing and looking at the key around Jack's neck. "That thing's glowing."

"It's been glowing since Fi passed out," Annie said, trying to dismiss the importance.

"So what if it's the key to the door?" Clu asked, looking from Annie to Jack.

"Then that would mean …" Jack said, letting his voice trail off with confusion. Instead of dwelling further on the information, however, he took the key from his neck and reached for the keyhole.

"Wait," Annie said, grabbing Jack's wrist. "Make sure you don't lose that key," She said. "It may be our only way our of the dream plane."

Jack nodded, before turning the key in the lock and pushing open the door. There was a strange white light that filled the room – not un-similar to the one that Jack had seen the night before – and when the door closed and locked behind, the room was empty, except for a sleeping Fi, lost in her own dreams.


	9. Chapter 9

AN: Thanks to Gabwr for the constant reviews, and thanks to The Rockerbabe for the great compliments. You guys are really keeping me going!

CHAPTER NINE

Annie blinked in surprise, looking up into Jack's face as the two danced around in a waltz. Jack stared back down at her with confusion. "Didn't we just go through the door?"

Annie glanced over her shoulder to see there were others dancing the same as she and Jack. Although, unlike she and Jack, they showed no emotions, moving along the dance floor as if it was just something they did. As if there were no real souls in their bodies. She turned back and met Jack's eye. "Look at them. They look like zombies," She said.

"Play along," Jack whispered, pulling her closer. Both ignored the slight blushes stretching across their cheeks.

"This must be Fi's dream," Annie said after a moment, taking a quick look around.

"Funny," Jack said thoughtfully. "I was half expecting there to be little green men running around."

Annie gave him a slightly annoyed look before turning her head. "Fi should be around here somewhere. I figure we just play along until we find her. Setting off the balance of the woven dream could be catastrophic."

"I'll leave that to you to decide," Jack replied, peering over Annie's shoulders. "I wonder where Clu is. He did come through with us, didn't he?"

"Yeah, he went through the door before me," Annie said with a frown.

"Well keep your eyes open," Jack stated, glancing back down and meeting her eyes. "I'm sure he's around here somewhere."

"Right," Annie said slowly, nodding her head. "Just … let it play out."

She glanced around the room, studying the movements of all the others in the strange plane. She frowned, finally looking up at Jack to see that he was staring down at her.

"What's wrong?" She asked.

"Nothing," He said quickly, offering a small smile. Annie gave him a confused look before glancing around. Off in the corner something caught her eye, and she almost pulled away from Jack.

"What is it?" Jack asked, looking around.

"I see Clu," Annie said, pointing in the corner. "He's dancing with some girl."

Jack's eyes widened in surprise. "It's Claire."

"Who's Claire?" Annie asked, looking to Jack.

"She's a girl that Fi and I met at a carnival," Jack said distractedly. "Fi was convinced that she could use astral projection or something like that …" His voice trailed off as he took a closer look around the room.

"Why would she be here?" Annie asked with a frown.

"I don't know," Jack said slowly. "But she's not the only person here that I recognize. Over there is Clu's cousin, Danny. And the girl dancing with him was a bit obsessed with Fi – Laura. And right there is a boy that Fi met over her website. I think his name was Ryan."

Annie followed his gaze with a frown. "You know all these people."

"Well it's starting to come back to me," Jack replied. "But I'm pretty certain these are all people that Fi has met."

Annie bit her lip thoughtfully. "They must be drawing from her memory. To create the dream sequence, they're taking the people that she's met to create a more comfortable environment."

"So where's Fi?" Jack asked with a frown.

"I don't know," Annie admitted. "But right now I think we should talk to Clu. Maybe he's gotten some sort of idea."

"Yeah," Jack said, nodding in agreement. The two parted, moving along the walls slowly, hoping not to draw too much attention. Within a moment they had arrived beside Clu. At first he didn't pay much attention, seeing as he was trying to have a conversation with the girl before him. Instead it seemed as if he was just having a one-way conversation, not paying any attention to him.

Annie and Jack shared uncertain looks before Annie stepped between the two, forcing them apart and grabbing Clu's hands.

"Mind if I cut in?" She asked, shooting Jack a pointed look. Slightly annoyed but willing, Jack quickly took Claire's hand and they began to dance.

"Hey!" Clu said with annoyance. "That was Claire! I haven't seen her in ages."

"She's not real," Annie said sharply. "None of this is real. These people aren't even here."

"Oh," Clu said with a frown. "I guess that's why she wasn't really talking then, huh?"

"Jack and I think that they were just summoned as an illusion to keep Fi comfortable and not as alert as she would normally be," Annie explained. "Have you come across anything yet?"

"Well I thought I saw Fi a couple of minutes ago, but then she sort of … disappeared into the crowd. Did you guys find anything?"

"No," Annie admitted. She let out a sigh of frustration. "We don't even have a plan."

"So we wing it," Clu suggested. "How about we grab Fi and make a run for it."

"I wish it were that easy," Annie replied with a sigh. "Somehow I doubt we'll have any sort of luck with that, though."

"Do you really think that Fi could get hurt?" Clu asked with a frown. "I mean, is this really dangerous?"

"I hope not," Annie said quietly. "But by the way Fi made it sound … she was scared."

"I don't get it, why would someone want to hurt Fi?" He inquired.

"I'm sure we're going to find out," Annie stated. The music changed and became a slow, enchanting song. Almost lulling. Annie glanced back over her shoulder in hopes of finding Jack, but he'd vanished. She bit her lip, before turning back to Clu. Only it wasn't Clu. Annie's eyes widened in surprise as the dark haired man moved her quickly across the floor.

"I must say, I wasn't expecting to see you here," He replied, his voice so familiar, though Annie couldn't exactly make out the face from under the mask. Still, she just knew that this was the man responsible for Fi's dreams. This was why they were here.

"What do you want with Fi?" She demanded. "And where's Clu?"

"Relax, he's fine. For now. And let's just say that Fi is of special interest to my bosses. In fact, they find her meddling absolutely to _die_ for."

"So you plan to kill her?" Annie demanded.

"Oh, Annie. You always were jumping to conclusions. No, I have some plans for our dear little Fiona. At least, I did. Until you and that girl got involved and had Fi read from the book. Do you have any idea how difficult it's been, trying to keep Fi under this charm?" He asked.

"Gee, sorry to disappoint you," Annie said sarcastically.

"No matter," He replied. "In fact, you coming here may have made my job so much easier." He paused for a moment, looking Annie over. "It's been a while, hasn't it?"

Annie didn't say anything for several moments. "How do I know you?" She asked slowly. A grin spread across his face.

"I believe I've answered enough of these questions today, thank you. I'd best be off to my date." With that he vanished from sight, leaving Annie alone and panicked. She glanced down at her watch and pursed her lips before looking around the room. She caught sight of Jack dancing with Claire a little ways off. She quickly came up beside him, pulling him away.

"We're in trouble," She stated.

"Why?" Jack asked with a frown.

"He knows we're here," Annie declared. "And he knows us. Or, me, to be more specific."

"Slow down. Where's Clu?"

"I don't know," Annie said angrily. "He disappeared. Look, we need to get out of here soon. We're in way over our heads."

"Look, we're not leaving without Fi," Jack said pointedly.

"I know that," Annie snapped. "But we need to get her and go. We can't stay here any longer, okay?"

Jack took Annie's hand and sighed. "Look, you need to calm down, alright? Maybe I'm not as up to speed on all this as I could be, but I get it. This is serious."

Annie felt her nerves calm slightly at Jack's touch.

"We just need to take this one step at a time," He stated. "First let's find Fi. Then we'll go from there. Okay?"

"Okay," Annie said, giving him a slight smile, which he returned.

SO WEIRD

Now that she was left to her own devices, Fi could feel a part of herself coming back. It was as if when she'd been in the presence of the boy she'd been asleep. Now that he'd gone off to who knows where, she was awakening. She turned her head with a frown.

"Wake up," She muttered to herself. "I just need to wake up." She bent down and tried pinching herself. When that didn't work she glanced around hopefully, praying that she could find something – anything – that would cause an intense reaction, causing her to wake up. He eyes drifted to the snack table. Or more specifically, the decorations at the snack table.

Cautiously she moved across the ballroom, stopping in front of the snack table. At the edge there were several different vials, each labeled appropriately. "There has to be something here," She muttered to herself.

She almost jumped out of her skin when two hands reached out from behind and wrapped around her waist.

"Now just what do we think we're doing, Fiona?" He asked.

"Let go of me!" Fi hissed, trying to pull away. The boy's grip on her tightened so much that it was hard to move.

"Don't make a scene," He hissed in her ear.

"What did you do to me?" Fi demanded. He let his grip loosen and she pulled away, turning to look at him. "Why don't I remember anything that happened? Did you put me under some sort of spell?"

He took Fi's hand and pulled her close to him, meeting her eyes. "Now who needs a spell when they have such a magnetic personality as me?"

After several seconds of staring into his eyes Fi felt herself calming down and falling back into that lulled area she'd been in just before. After a moment her eyes had glazed over slightly and her defensive stance vanished. She looked up at the man uncertainly. He put his arm around her waist and took a few steps, Fi following behind him.

"Since we're here, why don't we have ourselves a drink, shall we?" He suggested, picking up a glass. Fi looked down at the glass, and then back up and the man dully.

"I'm not really thirsty," She said quietly. "Let's just dance for a while."

"No!" He snapped, causing Fi to jump. He quickly calmed himself, taking Fi's hand and holding it gently. "No, I'm almost certain everyone is ready for a break. In fact, I believe I hear the music stopping."

Just then the dance finished up and everyone began to depart. He turned back to Fi pointedly.

"Who are you?" She asked; her eyes wide in wonder.

"I could be all your dreams," He said, bringing the glass up to Fi's lips. "If you'll just drink."

Fi glanced down at the drink uncertainly before taking it, giving the man a grin. "What's in this, anyways? It's just punch, right?"

"Drink and find out," He said, tipping it towards her lips. Despite how comfortable she felt, there was also something in the back of Fi's mind, trying to push back up. Telling her she was in some sort of danger, though she couldn't understand what sort of danger it was.

"Take off your mask," Fi said, looking up at the man.

"What?" He asked.

Fi pulled hers off and placed it on the table. "I just want to see your face," She replied.

For several moments nothing happened. Then the man grinned. "If I do as you ask, will you drink?"

Fi nodded.

"Alright then," The man said. He undid the knots holding the mask to his face and put it down. Fi looked him over thoughtfully.

"You can't be much older than me," She said quietly.

"Enough talking," He said with slight annoyance, pushing the cup back up to her lips. "Drink up."

"Fi, don't!" Someone called across the crowd. Fi and the boy looked up with surprise to see Annie and Jack pushing their way to the front of the crowd.

SO WEIRD

The music stopped and the crowd began to move to the front of the ballroom. Annie looked up with confusion, before exchanging confused looks with Jack.

"What's going on?" She asked.

"I don't know," Jack replied. "But we'd better check it out."

"What about Fi?" Annie asked.

"Knowing Fi she's probably right at the center of this," Jack murmured. The two pushed to the front of the crowd, Annie looking up just as Fi was about to take a sip from the wine glass.

"Fi, don't!" She exclaimed. Fi looked at her with surprise, as did the boy who was behind all this. Annie stopped in her tracks, her eyes growing wide as she stared.

"Zach?" She asked, meeting the boy's eyes.


	10. Chapter 10

AN: Not sure if any of you remember, but in the third season there was an episode called Mr. Magnetism where a snooty boy gained the power to be magnetic. Anyhoo, I thought, with the way the episode ended (with him being taken away and vowing vengeance), that he could make a pretty neat villain, so I decided to throw him in this story as someone who's working with the dark spirits. More details later.

CHAPTER TEN

"_Fi, don't!" She exclaimed. Fi looked at her with surprise, as did the boy who was behind all this. Annie stopped in her tracks, her eyes growing wide as she stared._

"_Zach?" She asked, meeting the boy's eyes._

Zach Stewart gave her an annoyed look. "And you couldn't have waited another moment?" He demanded angrily. "We're busy."

"Annie?" Fi asked with confusion, looking the blond over.

Annie, however, was too busy staring at Zach with confusion. Therefore, Jack was forced to step up. He moved past Annie and quickly stepped in front of his sister. "Fi, you can't drink that. It's a poison." He glanced at Zach before turning back to Fi. "You definitely can't trust him. He almost hurt Annie as well as half the school. Not to mention he's done something with Clu."

"Clu?" Fi said slowly. The little voice in the back of her head was beginning to nudge its way to the front. She frowned in confusion, before turning to Zach.

"Who are you?" She asked, a slight edge coming into her voice.

"You're worst enemy," He snapped, grabbing her wrist and causing the glass to fall to the floor, shattering into tiny bits. "And all of this could have gone just fine if you'd left them out of it. Why did you summon them here, Fi? You could have been all powerful."

"I didn't summon anyone," Fi snapped, trying to pull away.

"Let her go," Jack snapped, reaching forward and knocking Zach back into the table. The dark haired boy let out an annoyed cry, turning halfway through the fall and slamming Jack into the table instead. All the people that had occupied the room vanished, leaving just Jack, Zach, an angry Fi, and a dazed Annie.

"Leave my brother alone!" Fi snapped, grabbing Zach's shirt and tugging him off of Jack.

Jack's eyes flashed darkly and he tore Zach from Fi, slamming 'Mr. Magnetism' into the wall. "You know, I didn't like you very much when you were at our school. But now that you're messing with my sister? I really hate you."

"Your sister had it coming!" Zach replied, shoving Jack across the room with a simple flick of his wrist.

Annie snapped out of her trance and ran to Jack's side, Fi right on her heels.

Zach let out a dark laugh, skipping down the little stairs to the dance floor. "Do you really think we'd let her get away with her meddling? She's caused too much trouble amongst the spirit world. My bosses don't like it, not one bit. Either she was with us, or she was going down. Unfortunately you and your friends had to come and ruin all my plans."

"What, your plans to kill me?" Fi snapped, glaring at the boy.

"No," Zach said. "My plans to turn you. You're the strongest of your kind. With you on our side, there would be no way for the others to defeat us."

"What others?" Annie asked, frowning.

Instead of answering, Zach simply grinned.

"Where's Clu?" Fi demanded.

"Our dear Mr. Bell has decided to take a rest from all this partying. You understand, don't you? In the mean time I'll be here to entertain you."

Jack propped himself up before lunging forward, tackling Zach to the ground.

"Jack!" Annie cried, racing forward only to be stopped by Fi grabbing her elbow.

"Hold on," Fi said quietly. "This is something Jack has to do. We'll get our chance soon enough."

The two locked their fingers together and watched as the boys fought. After several moments Jack was once again tossed back, this time crashing into the orchestra set that had been abandoned by the illusion performers.

Annie pulled away from Fi and let out a startled cry. In turn, Fi turned angrily to Zach, clenching her fists. "Leave him out of this, Zach," She snapped, stopping the boy mid-stride. He looked her over and grinned, grabbing Annie's elbow and dragging her to his side a bit away from Fi and Jack.

"Let's make this interesting, Fiona. You willingly drink the punch and I'll let all your friends go. That sounds fair, doesn't it?"

"Let Annie go," Jack growled, jumped to his feet despite the pain that was coursing through his body.

"Fine," Fi said. Jack turned to her with surprise.

"What?"

"I'll do it," Fi said, meeting Zach's eyes. "I'll drink it. I just want you to promise me a couple of things."

"Alright," Zach said slowly.

"I want Jack, Annie, and Clu sent back safely. I want you to promise me that you won't lay a finger on them," Fi said.

"Agreed."

Here Fi hesitated.

"Was there anything else?" Zach asked.

"I want to see him," Fi said.

"Who?" Zach asked with confusion.

"My Father!" Fi snapped angrily. "I know he's been here. And I know you have something to do with what happened to him."

For several moments Zach stared at her, before grinning. "Not directly, I'll admit it. But I do have a couple ideas as to who did. And you can talk to them all you want. But only after you drink of the cup."

"No," Fi snapped. "I want to see him, or it's no deal."

"You're willing to risk your friends just to see your Father?" Zach asked.

"Its okay, Fi," Annie said softly. "You can't let them harm you."

Fi tried to ignore Jack's dark look before turning back to Zach. "I see my Father or it's no deal."

Jack grabbed her arm angrily and snapped in her ear, "What are you doing? We have to get out of here before things get too dangerous."

"Things _are_ too dangerous," Fi snapped. She turned to Zach, before stalking over to the snacks station. She poured a cup of punch and then looked pointedly at 'Mr. Magnetism'. "Let Annie and Clu go, and call him."

Zach blinked, before whipping Annie away over to Jack. The two stumbled before Jack caught her, holding her close.

"What about Clu?" Fi demanded.

Zach narrowed his eyes, and then his hand shot up, Clu appearing beside Annie and Jack. Then he jerked his arm and the three fell to the floor and were pushed back into a wall, ropes appearing out of nowhere and tying themselves around.

Clu frowned in confusion. "Hey guys, what did I miss?"

"Fi's going to drink from the glass as soon as her demands are met," Annie informed him.

"Fi, listen to me!" Jack snapped, trying to catch his sister's attention. Instead Zach pointed at him and a cloth came, wrapping itself around his mouth.

"No more talking out of any of you," Zach snapped.

Annie narrowed her eyes before struggling against her ropes. "Fi, don't let this happen! Don't give in! It's not too late to destroy Zach and get out of here."

"At the risk of you?" Fi asked, looking at them. "At the risk of losing my closest friends? I'm not going to do it."

"But you're the strongest," Annie exclaimed. "We can't lose you!"

Fi turned away, trying not to think about all that. Instead she looked to Zach, but said to Annie, "I can't be responsible for putting you guys in trouble."

"Enough chatting," Zach snapped, clothes suddenly gagging Clu and Annie. He walked up to Fi and looked her in the eye. "_Drink_."

"What about my Father?" Fi demanded.

"After you drink," Zach snapped.

"Now!" Fi hissed.

As Zach narrowed his eyes and turned away, Jack began to fiddle with something in his pocket. "Fine!" He snapped, raising his arm. In the center of the room a mist began to form. Fi put the cup down and stared at the figure, her eyes beginning to water. Within several moments her Father had appeared, a look of confusion on his face.

"Daddy?" Fi whispered, the tears coming now. He looked at her sharply.

"Fi? What are you doing here?" He asked with a frown.

Fi choked back a sob and started for her Father, only to have Zach grab her arm.

"Not yet, Princess. We have a bargain. You can see him, now drink."

Fi wiped away a tear before nodding.

"Fiona," Her Father said sharply. "What are you doing?"

"I have to, Daddy," Fi said quietly. "It's the only way to make things right again."

He turned glancing at Jack, Annie and Clu with confusion, before trying to step forward, only to be shocked by some invisible force.

"What are you doing to him!?" Fi demanded, trying to run to him again only to have Zach once more pull her back.

"Just some insurance that he doesn't go anywhere. Drink, Fiona, before I make you drink?"

Fi looked at her Father, on the ground in pain, and then at Annie, Jack and Clu. She looked down and sighed.

"Alright." She took the cup and reluctantly brought it to her lips. She gave Jack one quick look before turning away and letting the liquid fall down her throat.

… until she was pushed against the table and the cup was shoved out of her hand before more than a drop could enter her mouth.

Fi choked back her surprise and turned to see her Father leaning on the table in immense pain. Her eyes widened, and before she could fully comprehend what had happened Zach had grabbed her Father and tossed him back out on the dance floor.

"Lay off it, old man. Fiona has made a bargain and she _will_ abide by it," Zach growled.

"Don't," Her Father choked out, giving Fi a pained look. "You have to help the others."

"But how can I help them?" Fi asked. "This was the only way. I made the mistake of taking the gift back."

"It was never a mistake, Fiona," Rick gasped. "You were given this gift for a reason. You were _meant_ to have it. Just like Jack was meant to keep you safe."

"Quiet, old man," Zach snapped, pushing Rick back further. He cried out in pain, causing Fi to grab Zach and jerk him back.

"Leave him alone!" She cried.

"Don't give in to them, Fiona. You need to fight it. You can not let them win. Do you understand?"

Fi nodded her head, tears pouring down her cheeks. "I won't Daddy. I promise."

"No!" Zach hissed, grabbing Fi from behind and shoving her against the table just as Jack managed to cut through the ropes. He ran forward, tearing off the gag and desperately trying to get to his sister's side. Annie and Clu pulled off their gags and went to Rick; ignoring the shocks they received when they tried to help him.

Zach grabbed a cup, dipped it in the punch and shoved it in front of Fi's face. "Drink it!" He snapped, pushing it to her lips. She kept her mouth close and tried to push Zach away. Instead he was pulled off of her and thrown halfway across the room, crashing into the wall. Annie looked with shock, before giving Jack a half frightened look as he stood there, seething. Instead of saying anything, though, Jack helped Fi to her feet and went back to Zach. Unsure of what to do, Fi found herself running to Annie and Clu, pushing through the strange electrical field and watching as it vanished from sight.

"Daddy," She whimpered, burying her head in his chest.

"You've meddled far too often, Jack Phillips," Zach growled, glaring at the boy and wiping the blood away that was coursing from his nose.

"You've hurt too many people," Jack replied. "I tried to help you, you wouldn't listen. You've tried to hurt Annie, now Fi. I won't let you get away this time."

"You can't stop me," Zach said, a dark grin crossing his face. "No one can."

"Now that was always your problem, wasn't it?" Jack asked, grabbing on to Zach's collar. "You were always so full of yourself." With that he spun around and let Zach go, causing him to fall down onto the floor.

"Jack, leave him!" Annie snapped; standing and staring at her friend. "He's not worth it."

"He's every bit worth it," Jack replied, leaning down and taking hold of Zach. Instead of pulling him to his feet and giving him the punch he wanted, Zach struck his foot out and knocked Jack down. He climbed over him, glaring down and holding his hand out. A candle stick shot into his hand and he raised it over Jack, eyes gleaming with malevolence.

Fi climbed to her feet, letting her Father go and leaving him to Clu. "Stop this!" She cried, her voice ringing through the ballroom. For several seconds everyone was frozen in shock. And then the room began to shake as if there were an earthquake. The candle holder fell from Zach's hand, landing harmlessly off to the side. Jack kicked him off and jumped up, only to have Annie grab hold of him and pull him away from the other boy.

"Don't do this," She pleaded. "Please, just let him be."

"Don't tell me you still like him, Annie," Jack snapped giving her an incredulous look.

"Of course not," Annie snapped. "But I can't just let you kill him. It would be _wrong_."

Another quake rocked through the ballroom, almost tossing the two to the ground. They looked over to see Fi standing there, fingers clenched and hair floating around her as if there were an invisible wind. Her eyes were narrowed, and for just a moment she seemed to be surging with power, a strange spectral glow surrounding her.

"I banish you, Zachary Stewart!" Fi growled, and something shuddered through the room, knocking Zach onto his back. "I banish you from this plane and any other! You will not harm me, or my friends. Not today and not ever. Do you understand!?"

Her voice shook through the ballroom, and another quake rattled straight to Zach. He shot up into the air and was held there by some invisible force.

Annie, Clu, Jack and Rick stared with shock from Fi to Zach. Something caused Zach to cry out in pain as he slowly began to glow.

"Leave now!" Fi cried, and Zach's image was shot to pieces, falling along the corridors as if it were just dark dust. A harder quake shook through the room forcing everyone but Fi to the ground. This one didn't stop, however. The room continued to shudder, and soon two of the chandeliers came crashing to the ground.

"Fi, stop it!" Annie cried, tears appearing in her eyes.

"You're going to kill all of us!" Jack snapped.

The quaking came back full force, causing everything to fall to the ground even as that was beginning to be ripped up.

Annie cried out in terror as a chandelier almost crashed on top of her, but Jack managed to roll away, before any harm could come to her.

"Thanks," She said softly.

"No problem," Jack panted.

"You have to make her stop," Rick said, turning to Clu. "I can't get her attention. Not now."

"What's happening?" Clu asked, looking to Fi.

"She's gained control of the plane," Rick said softly. "And all her pain is being channeled into destroying it. She doesn't even realize she's doing it."

Clu frowned, looking from Rick to Fi, before getting up.

"Careful, it's dangerous," Rick snapped.

Clu quickly grabbed onto Fi and spun her around so that she was facing him, forcing him to see the way her eyes had gone completely black. "You need to snap out of this, Fi!" He exclaimed, tugging the two out of the way as a picture frame flew at them. "You need to stop before everyone you care about is hurt."

"I can't," Fi said softly. "I don't know how."

"You _have_ to. Everyone here is at risk."

"Leave without me," Fi growled.

"We're not leaving you here," Clu snapped.

Fi looked him over and slowly the dark look in her eyes faded away, become their normal dark pools. "What's happening?" She whispered, looking around the room with confusion. "Where's Zach."

"We'll explain later. Right now we need to get out of here."

"Not without my Dad," Fi said, pushing past him and helping Rick to his feet. Another shake rumbled around the ballroom and the floor split, forcing the snack table to fall into the ground.

"Fi, we have to go," Clu snapped, turning to see Annie and Jack standing in the doorway, Jack trying to find something.

"I'm not leaving him again," Fi exclaimed.

"I'm too weak to keep going, Fi," Her Father replied. "Besides, I don't belong in that world."

"I won't leave you, Daddy."

"Guys, the doors open!" Jack called over to them.

"Go on ahead!" Clu called. "We'll be there in a minute."

Annie and Jack exchanged uncertain looks before stepping through the door.

"We have to get out of here before in collapses," Clu said, turning to Fi.

"Come on," Fi said, dragging her Father over to the door. "We have to go."

He hesitated a moment, before following right to the door with Fi.

"Let's go," Clu said, reaching for Fi's hand.

"I'll be right through, I promise," Fi said. "Go on without me."

He hesitated a moment, glancing to Rick in hopes of getting an answer.

"I'll make sure she gets through," He said softly.

Clu nodded, reaching for the door. Just as he was about to go through the still shaking room was surrounded by strange phantoms. One of them grabbed to Fi's arm and the other pulled her Dad away.

"No!" Fi cried, reaching out for her Father. Instead he vanished into the air leaving Fi and the creatures.

Clu turned around at Fi's cry and quickly ran to her side, pulling her away. "We have to get out of here!" He shouted in her ear.

"They took my Father," Fi exclaimed. "Just when I got him back!"

"We'll get him back again, I promise," Clu said. "But right now we have to go before they get you."

Already the phantoms were swarming around the two, close enough to close the door and lock it. Clu took Fi's hand and pushed her to the door. "Go!"

Fi turned back around to see the phantoms getting closer, knowing she had no other choice but to escape. She ran through the door, Clu right on her heals, slamming the door shut behind him. Within seconds the room shook and a beam from the ceiling crashed down on the door.

"Retreat," one of the phantoms shouted. "We'll catch them next time. At least we have the Father."

With that the phantoms vanished just as they had come. And the room collapsed in on itself, becoming just a bit of rubble of a once beautiful ballroom …

…The End

AN: Yes, this is the end of part one, but as I mentioned earlier on in the story, there are STILL TWO MORE PARTS, so do not fear, my avid readers. There will be more. But just to keep your attention, here's a small excerpt from OPEN DOORS PT II: UNLOCKED DOORS (title subject to change once I find the original title I had planned). So without further ado, here's Pt. II …

Fiona Phillips sat up in her bed, sweat dripping down her face as she tried not to let her nightmare get to her. Or, what she was passing off as a nightmare at the moment, but she knew differently. Everything that had just happened in her ballroom dream had been as real as anything else she knew. Her mind was already turning with unanswered questions – and unknown plans to retrieve her Father from the bowels of hell where they undoubtedly had taken him. The phantoms – her enemies.

She groaned, rubbing the sweat from her face and blinking a couple of times, hoping not to let the sun get into her eyes. After a moment she let out a yawn and pulled back her covers, impulse telling her to check on Clu, Annie, and Jack.

She froze as her feet touched the ground, her eyes slowly sweeping over the room before her. She was back in her old room in Hope Springs – in the house her mother had sold the year before. How could that be possible? Her face scrunched up in confusion and slowly she stood, her eyes taking in everything she could see. There were several changes. Her closet seemed fuller and her computer desk was different from the one she'd had before. But it was still her old room.

She picked up her robe from where it was draped over her chair and pulled it over herself, trying to ignore the shiver running down her spine. Was it possible she'd wound up in another dream? Could the doors really do that?

Slowly she pulled open her bedroom door and looked down the hall. It was still the same as she remembered it – no changes here. She bit her lip uncertainly before heading out into the kitchen to find her Mom standing over the oven, flipping pancakes.

"Hey baby, you're up early," She said, giving Fi a smile.

"Guess I couldn't sleep," Fi said, slowly slumping into her chair. She took in the old kitchen, eyes wide in wonderment as she tried to grasp just what was going on.

"You alright?" Her mother asked, putting a tray of eggs in front of her. "You seem sort of … confused."

"I'm fine," Fi said, turning and giving her Mom a small smile. "I guess I just had a nightmare." Then she relaxed into her seat. "It was all a nightmare."

"That's the third one in a week. Maybe you and Jack should stop watching all those scary movies," Molly stated, giving Fi a pointed look. She grinned in response.

"Yeah, maybe. Where is everyone?"

"Out," Her mom replied. "The boys wanted to go check out some new stereo that the Bell's got last night. It's supposed to be state of the line."

"State of the line? The Bells? That doesn't sound like them," Fi said with surprise.

"Well I guess it was Carey's idea and Ned seems to have gone along with it," Molly replied.

"I wonder how Irene's taking it," Fi said, rolling her eyes. "She hates all that noise." Molly turned and looked at her with confusion before turning back to the pancakes. "Is there any butter?"

"Sure is. Right over by the bread box." Fi nodded and quickly retrieved the butter, putting a little over her eggs before adding some salt.

"You really shouldn't put so much butter on those," Molly said with disapproval, turning around and taking her seat at the table.

"It tastes better that way," Fi said. She took a bite and grinned before looking around the table. "Hey, how come there are two extra plates?" She asked.

Then off of Molly's confused look, she added, "Carey and Clu are coming over, right?"

Molly put down her fork and put her hand on Fi's forehead. "Baby, are you feeling okay?"

"Mom, I'm fine," Fi said with a grin, swatting her Mom's hand away. "In fact, I think I feel better than I have in a really long time."

Molly frowned before pulling away. "If you say so," She said, reaching for the syrup and pouring it on her pancakes.

"Hey Mom," Fi said, looking up. "Do you think it's possible for someone to have a dream of a really long period of time?" Fi asked.

Molly stopped; her fork just before her lips. "What do you mean?"

"Well, do you think it's possible to have a dream that was of a whole year?" Fi asked.

"I suppose it's possible," Her Mom said slowly. "Although I'm not sure I've heard anything like that."

Fi smiled with relief. "Then it was all just a stupid dream."

"Fi, what's this all about?" Molly asked with interest.

"I just had the weirdest dream," Fi said, giving her Mom a grin.

"Maybe you should tell your Father all about it," Molly suggested, causing Fi to freeze in surprise.

"What?" She asked, looking up at her Mom with wide eyes.

"Yeah. You know how he's into all that dream stuff. Here he comes now, why don't you ask him?"

"Ask me what?" A voice asked from the patio door. Fi spun around and her jaw dropped in surprise as she saw her Father standing there … very much alive.

AN: Alright, the rest of this chap should be posted in a day or two – depends on how busy I am. Hope you're interested!


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